MESSIANIC   PEOPHECY 


MESSIANIC   PEOPHECY 


THE  PREDICTION  OF  THE  FULFILMENT  OF  REDEMPTION 
THROUGH  THE  MESSIAH 


A   CRTTICAL  STUDY  OF  THE  MESSIANIC  PASSAGES 

OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT  IN  THE  ORDER 

OF  THEIR  DEVELOPMENT 


CHAELES  AUGUSTUS  BPJGGS,  D.D. 

'I 

DAVENPORT   PEOKESSOK   OF   HEBREW   AND  THE   COGNATE   LANGUAGES   IN   THE    UNION 
THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY,   NEW  YORK  CITY 


NEW    YORK 
CHARLES    SCRIBNEK'S    SONS 

1886 


37         i 


COPTRIGHT,   iaS6, 

Bt  CHARLES    SCRIBNER'S    SONS. 


TO 

THIS  BOOK  IS  DEDICATED  AS  A 

MEMENTO  OF  HAPPY  DA  I  .S 

IN  EDINBURGH. 


269469 


PREFACE. 


Messianic  Prophecy  is  the  most  important  of  all  themes ; 
for  it  is  the  ideal  of  redemption  given  by  the  Creator  to 
our  race  at  the  beginning  of  its  history,  and  it  ever  abides 
as  the  goal  of  humanity  until  the  divine  plan  has  been 
accomplished.  There  is  no  lack  of  works  upon  this 
subject.  They  are  strewn  along  the  Christian  centuries 
in  great  abundance.  And  yet  there  are  very  few  of 
them  that  have  more  than  a  transient  value ;  for  they 
either  use  Messianic  Prophecy  as  a  sword  with  which  to 
smite  the  Jew  or  the  infidel ;  or  else  as  a  crutch  for  a 
feeble  faith  in  Christ  and  Christianity.  There  are  very 
few  of  them  that  show  any  real  interest  in  the  theme 
for  itself ;  there  are  still  fewer  that  are  animate  with 
love  and  devotion  to  this  greatest  of  all  subjects. 
Messianic  Prophecy  has  been  too  much  dominated 
by  the  apologetical  and  the  polemical  interests,  and  the 
historical  and  the  dogmatic  bearings  of  the  theme  have 
been  too  much  neglected. 

This  has  given  occasion  to  another  common  fault  in 
the  treatment  of  the  subject.  It  has  not  been  grasped 
as  a  whole  and  treated  by  a  comprehensive  method. 
Messianic  Prophecy  does  not  come  to  an  end  with  the 
canon  of  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  Testament,  as  is 
commonly  supposed.  It  assumes  the  same  relative 
position  in  the  Scriptures  of  the  New  Testament ;  and  it 

vii 


vm  PREFACE. 

is  the  crown  of  the  system  of  Christian  doctrine.  Hence 
it  di\ddes  itself  into  three  gi^eat  sections :  the  Messianic 
Prophecy  of  the  Old  Testament,  the  Messianic  idea  of 
the  Xew  Testament,  and  the  Messianic  ideal  in  the 
history  of  Christian  doctrine.  Xo  one  can  adequately 
treat  of  any  one  of  these  sections  until  he  has  made  a 
comprehensive  study  of  the  whole  subject. 

The  volume  now  given  to  the  public  is  designed  to  be 
the  first  of  a  series  that  will  cover  the  whole  ground. 
It  treats  of  Prophecy  in  general,  of  Messianic  Prophecy 
in  particular,  and  then  traces  the  development  of  the 
Messianic  idea  in  the  Old  Testament,  concluding  with  a 
summary  of  the  ideal  therein  unfolded.  It  will  remain 
for  a  second  volume  to  show  how  far  this  ideal  has  been 
fulfilled  by  the  first  advent  of  the  Messiah,  and  how  far 
it  remained  unfulfilled  and  was  taken  up  into  New 
Testament  Prophecy  and  carried  on  to  a  higher  stage  of 
development.  A  third  volume  should  trace  the  history 
of  the  Messianic  ideal  in  the  Christian  Church,  and 
show  its  importance  in  the  development  of  Christian 
doctrine. 

Many  of  our  readers  will  be  surprised  to  find  so  little 
reference  to  the  fulfilment  of  the  prophecies.  This  has 
commonly  been  regarded  as  the  most  important  thing. 
Accordingly,  the  prophecies  have  been  studied  from  the 
point  of  view  of  their  supposed  fulfilment,  and  their 
original  meaning  and  their  relation  to  the  system  of 
Messianic  Prophecy  of  the  Old  Testament  have  been 
overlooked.  Some  prophecies  have  risen  into  dispro- 
portionate prominence  and  have  been  exaggerated,  while 
other  prophecies  of  equal  and  even  greater  importance 
have  been  undervalued,  and  in  some  cases  entirely 
neglected.  The  Messianic  ideal  of  the  Old  Testament 
should  be  treated  by  itself  and  for  itself,  in  order  that 
it  may  be  understood  as  a  system  in  its  proportions  and 


PREFACE.  IX 

in  tlie  inter-relations  of  its  parts.  I  have  not  been  able 
to  escape  altogether  from  the  question  of  fulfilment. 
It  is  probable  that  a  more  rigid  adherence  to  the  plan 
that  has  been  proposed  would  have  excluded  not  a  few 
references  to  the  fulfilment  that  have  found  their  way 
into  the  footnotes  and  even  into  the  text.  But  it  was 
not  my  purpose  to  undervalue  the  question  of  the  fulfil- 
ment of  the  prophecies,  and  I  did  not  care  to  be  too 
strict  in  this  matter.  Furthermore,  it  was  designed  to 
treat  the  fulfilment  in  its  proper  place.  I  have  given  a 
summary  of  the  Messianic  ideal  of  the  Old  Testament  at 
the  close  of  this  volume.  It  will  be  the  work  of  the 
second  volume  to  show  how  far  that  ideal  has  been 
realized  in  Christ  and  Christianity,  and  what  still 
remains  to  be  fulfilled. 

I  have  not  entered  into  the  history  of  the  interpreta- 
tion of  the  passages,  but  have  given  the  several  interpre- 
tations, chiefly  in  footnotes,  in  order  to  explain  those  that 
have  been  adopted,  and  to  discriminate  them  from  others. 
The  history  of  the  interpretation  of  the  Messianic  ideal, 
according  to  the  proposed  scheme,  comes  into  considera- 
tion in  the  third  volume  of  the  work. 

The  present  volume  traces  the  Messianic  idea  in  its 
development  in  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures.  It  does 
not  enter  into  the  Messianic  idea  of  the  apocryphal 
books,  or  of  the  Apocalypses,  or  of  the  Jewish  sects  of 
the  four  centuries,  in  the  midst  of  which  the  first  advent 
occurred,  because  the  Messianic  idea  of  the  Old  Testament 
is  complete  in  the  canon  of  the  Old  Testament.  The 
Messianic  ideas  of  the  later  Jews  have  their  proper  place 
as  an  external  historical  frame  in  which  to  set  the 
Messianic  idea  of  Christ  and  His  apostles. 

I  have  given  the  Messianic  passages  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment in  English  translation,  with  a  very  few  exceptions 
where  they  were  of  too  great  length.     These  translations 


X  PREFACE. 

have  been  made  from  the  original  text.  They  have  been 
revised  in  order  to  conform  with  the  lievised  Version 
whenever  it  seemed  best  so  to  do,  partly  because  it 
seemed  desirable  to  recognise  and  take  advantage  of  the 
labours  of  those  eminent  scholars  who  have  so  recently 
given  it  to  the  world ;  and  partly  because  I  am  of  the 
opinion  that  any  future  revision  must  take  its  departure 
from  this  vantage  ground.  In  some  cases  the  Eevised 
Version  has  been  followed  closely  ;  but  in  the  main  it 
has  been  used  freely  and  has  been  departed  from  not 
only  when  fidelity  to  the  original  text  required  it,  but 
also  in  many  cases  where  I  have  preferred  other  render- 
ings that  have  become  familiar  by  long  use.  These 
renderings  are  the  product  of  the  critical  and  historical 
study  of  the  original  text,  and  are  not  proposed  as  sub- 
stitutes for  the  renderings  of  the  Eevised  Version  or  the 
Authorized  Version,  which  aim  at  a  version  for  public 
use. 

The  author  has  preferred  to  transliterate  technical 
words  and  explain  them  in  footnotes,  rather  than  to  trans- 
late them  inadequately  or  by  uncertain  renderings.  The 
divine  names  Jahveh,  'El,  'Adonay,  Sluidday,  ^Elyon,  Jah, 
have  not  been  translated,  because  they  are  proper  names 
of  the  Deity  in  most  passages,  and  any  translation  misses 
the  sense.  'Elohim  has  been  translated  God,  except  in  a 
few  passages  where  it  also  is  used  as  a  divine  name. 
These  names  are  unfamiliar  to  the  English  reader,  but  if 
he  will  attend  to  their  use  in  the  successive  passages 
he  will  observe  the  importance  of  the  discrimination. 
Shades  of  meaning  will  attract  his  attention  that  he 
could  never  discover  in  any  version  that  translates  them. 
The  neglect  to  distinguish  between  'Eloliim  and  'El  not 
only  obscures  the  difference  in  meaning,  but  also  dis- 
regards the  use  of  'El  as  a  proper  name  in  passages 
where  that  use  is  of  some  importance.     It  is  necessary 


PREFACE.  XJ 

in  a  few  words  to  explain  my  transliteration  of  nin^  by 
Jahveh.     I  reaffirm  what  I  have   said   elsewhere.^     It 
represents  the  Deity  as  an  ever-living  and  acting  person, 
who  enters  into  personal  relations  with  His  people,  and 
would  have  them  address  Him  by  a  proper  name  in  their 
personal  approaches  unto    Him  in  prayer  and  worship. 
The    later    Jews,    influenced    by    feelings    of    profound 
reverence,    which    soon    passed    over    into    superstition, 
abstained  from  pronouncing  this  name,  and  substituted 
for  it  usually  ""inx,  "  Lord  ;  "  or  where  ''iis  nin*"  occurred, 
wrh^y  "  G-od"     Hence  the  Massoretes  pointed  mn^  with 
the  vowel-points  which  belong  to  ''iix  or  wrb^,  in  order 
to  indicate  that  these  other  names  of  God  were  to  be 
used  in  place  of  mn"" ;  and  so  the  original  pronunciation 
of  nin^  became  lost.     Hence  in  the  LXX.  and  in  most 
translations  "  Lord,"  or  its  equivalent,  is  substituted  for 
^1^^     The  word  "  Jehovah  "  is  sometimes  used  in  English 
for    this    word.      But    it    is    a    linguistic  ■  monstrosity. 
Scholars  are  generally  agreed  that  the  original  pronuncia- 
tion was  Jahveh  (the  j  pronounced  as  y).     There  can  be 
little  doubt  that  the  substitution  of  "  Lord "  for  Jahveh 
in  the  translation  of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures  and  in  the 
Jewish  Eabbinical  Theology,  has  been  associated  with  an 
undue  stress   upon   the   sovereignty  of   God.     The    Old 
Testament  revelation  in  its  use  of  rv\r\''  emphasized  rather 
the  activity  of  the  ever-living  personal  God  of  revelation. 
The  doctrine  of  God  needs  to  be  enriched  at  the  present 
time  by  the  enthronement  of  the  idea  of  the  living  God 
to    its    supreme    place    in    Biblical    theology,    and    the 
dethronement  of  the  idea  of  divine  sovereignty  from  its 
usurped  position  in  dogmatic  theology.     Many  English 
scholars   prefer   the    transliteration    Yahveh   or   Yahtveh. 
I  prefer  Jahveh,  because  of  its  common  use  by  foreign 
scholars.     I  should  have  no  objection  to  the  other  trans- 
1  Presb.  Review,  July  1885,  p.  526. 


XU  PREFACE. 

literations  if  scholars  would  agree  to  any  one  of  them. 
Jahvch  is  a  brief,  terse,  and  euphonious  word,  that  has  a 
wealth  of  meaning  and  of  reminiscence  of  Biblical 
passages  to  all  who  are  familiar  with  the  Hebrew  text. 
It  is  the  name  that  God  Himself  gave  to  His  people ; 
and  if  any  name  should  be  correctly  pronounced  and 
written,  it  would  seem  that  it  should  be  this  one  above 
all  others. 

The  great  majority  of  the  passages  are  given  in  the 
lines  and  strophes  of  Hebrew  Poetry.  This  part  of  the 
work  has  cost  the  author  a  large  amount  of  severe  labour. 
It  has,  however,  opened  up  many  new  problems,  and 
solved  many  perplexing  questions.  The  author  is  well 
aware  that  there  is  a  large  amount  of  scepticism  among 
Hebrew  scholars  as  to  the  measurement  of  the  lines  and 
the  strophical  organization  of  Hebrew  poetry,  but  this  is 
due  chiefly  to  the  long-continued  neglect  of  the  subject, 
and  to  prejudices  begotten  partly  by  an  ultra-conservative 
dislike  of  so-called  novelties  and  by  a  timid  clinging  to 
the  Massoretic  system  of  accentuation.  Those  who  are 
entitled  to  rank  as  authorities  in  the  department  of 
Hebrew  Poetry  have  not  doubted  that  there  was  some 
system  of  strophical  arrangement,  and  some  principles  by 
which  the  lines  were  arranged ;  for  how  else  could 
Hebrew  poetry  be  Poetry  ?  The  principles  that  have  been 
followed  in  the  arrangement  of  the  lines  and  strophes 
have  been  tried  by  some  years  of  study  and  teaching,  and 
have  been  applied  with  success  to  the  greater  part  of  the 
poetry  of  the  Old  Testament.  These  principles  have 
enabled  the  author  to  discover  several  pieces  of  poetry  in 
the  Old  Testament  that  have  been  previously  unknown. 
I  am  assured  of  the  correctness  of  these  principles,  and 
also  of  that  arrangement  of  the  great  majority  of  the 
passages  that  is  given  in  the  book.  But  some  of  the 
passages  are  so  difficult  that  the  arrangement  that  I  have 


PKEFACE.  Xill 

given  is  tentative  rather  than  final.  The  whole  is  sub- 
mitted to  the  judgment  of  the  candid  scholar  who  has 
eyes  to  see  the  beauties  of  Hebrew  Poetry.  I  have  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  it  would  be  no  great  task  for  an 
English  poet  to  reproduce  the  entire  body  of  Hebrew 
Poetry  in  corresponding  English  poetry  of  the  same 
rhythm  and  strophical  organization.  If  a  real  poet 
should  perform  this  work  he  would  confer  an  inestimable 
boon  upon  the  English-speaking  race,  and  give  a  version 
of  the  Old  Testament  that  would  be  better  adapted  for 
popular  use  than  any  English  version  that  translates 
Hebrew  poetry  into  English  prose. 

■  The  original  text  of  all  the  passages  has  been  studied 
in  accordance  with  the  principles  of  Textual  Criticism. 
The  Massoretic  text  not  infrequently  errs  when  compared 
with  the  ancient  versions,  and  there  are  not  a  few 
passages  where  the  principles  of  Hebrew  Poetry  aid  us  to 
a  better  text  than  that  of  any  of  the  ancient  authorities. 
No  true  scholar  will  despise  critical  conjecture  in  cases 
where  the  external  evidence  is  unsatisfactory,  and  the 
text  is  manifestly  corrupt.  The  author  has  taken  great 
pains  in  this  department  of  his  work.  The  results  are 
found  in  the  translation,  but  the  explanation  of  these 
results  are  given  in  the  footnotes.  These  results  will 
not  please  those  who  esteem  the  Massoretic  text  as  well- 
nigh  infallible.  We  have  no  hope  of  overcoming  the 
prejudices  of  such  scholars.  We  have  done  our  work  for 
those  who  have  faith  in  the  principles  and  methods  of 
the  Science  of  Textual  Criticism.-^ 

A  most  difficult  task,  that  could  not  be  avoided,  was 
the  arrangement  of  the  passages  in  the  order  of  their 
historical  origin.  A  mechanical  arrangement  of  the  pas- 
sages after  the  traditional  method  pursued  by  Hengsten- 
berg,  J.  Pye-Smith,  and  most  scholars  who  have  written 
^  See  my  Biblical  Study ^  p.  138  seq. 


XIV  PREFACE. 

upon  Messianic  Prophecy  would  have  heen  an  easy  task. 
But  this  method  gives  us  nothing  better  than  a  string  of 
exegetical  papers  without  organic  connection.  Messianic 
Prophecy  is  a  section  of  Biblical  Theology.  It  should 
be  treated  in  accordance  with  the  principles  and  methods 
of  that  branch  of  Biblical  Science.  The  development  of 
the  Messianic  idea  is  therefore  of  vast  importance,  and 
all  the  passages  must  take  their  place  in  their  historical 
order,  or  that  development  cannot  be  traced  to  its  full 
extent.  The  traditional  position  of  many  of  these  passages 
will  not  bear  serious  examination.  It  is  impossible  to 
adhere  to  the  traditional  theories,  and  make  anything  of 
a  development  of  the  Messianic  ideal.  These  theories 
perish  before  the  breath  of  Biblical  Theology  as  well  as 
by  the  knife  of  the  Higher  Criticism.  The  principles  of 
the  Higher  Criticism  and  of  Biblical  Theology  have  been 
faithfully  applied,  and  the  author  has  reached  much 
greater  satisfaction  in  the  results  of  the  investigation 
than  he  deemed  to  be  possible  at  the  outset.  I  shall  not 
deny  that  there  are  many  cases  of  doubt,  especially  in 
the  arrangement  of  the  Psalms.  But  in  all  cases  of 
doubt  it  has  seemed  best  to  connect  the  doubtful  passages 
with  other  passages  of  similar  import,  where  they  seemed 
to  iit  best  in  the  development  of  the  Messianic  ideal.  In 
general,  the  results  correspond  with  those  reached  by  the 
great  critics  of  the  century ;  but  in  some  cases  I  have 
been  compelled  to  depart  from  them,  and  in  some 
important  passages  to  advance  new  theories  which  are 
submitted  to  the  judgment  of  all  those  who  are  in 
earnest  in  the  work  of  Biblical  Criticism  and  Biblical 
Theology. 

This  work  is  designed  chiefly  for  theological  students 
and  ministers  of  the  gospel.  Accordingly  I  have  carefully 
summed  up  the  Messianic  idea  of  each  passage  or  group 
of  passages  in  a  compact  and  comprehensive  statement. 


PREFACE.  XV 

These  I  have  arranged  in  a  series  of  sections  that  are 
numbered  consecutively  throughout  the  volume.  Thus 
the  student  has  an  outline  of  the  work  for  the  purposes 
of  review  and  as  a  preparation  for  an  examination  upon 
the  subject.  I  have  also  furnished  him  with  a  critical 
apparatus  in  the  footnotes  for  the  study  of  the  Messianic 
passages.  These  discuss  all  the  important  questions  of 
textual  criticism,  higher  criticism,  philological  explanation, 
and  exegesis.  The  larger  type  of  the  book  confines  itself 
for  the  most  part  to  the  Messianic  ideal  as  a  part  of 
Biblical  Theology.  All  that  is  technical  has  been  thrown 
into  footnotes,  and  stands  there  by  itself  for  the  con- 
venient use  of  the  Hebrew  student.  The  text  is  thus 
relieved  of  Hebrew  words  and  critical  discussions,  so  that 
any  intelligent  reader  may  use  the  book  without  being 
disturbed  by  anything  that  he  cannot  readily  understand. 
For  the  author  desires  that  his  book  may  be  of  service  to 
the  thoughtful  layman,  and  to  Sabbath-school  teachers, 
none  of  whom  can  be  at  all  successful  in  their  study  of 
the  Scriptures  unless  they  know  something  about  the 
Messianic  idea  that  meets  them  everywhere  in  the  sacred 
pages. 

The  author  has  devoted  many  years  of  study  in 
preparation  for  the  present  work.  It  has  cost  him  more 
labour  than  all  other  topics  combined.  It  has  been  a 
labour  of  love  and  enthusiasm.  And  yet  the  theme  is  so 
great,  so  wonderful,  so  glorious,  and  so  divine,  that  he  has 
pursued  it  only  to  find  that  it  escapes  his  grasp  and 
transcends  his  efforts.  He  gives  his  work  to  the  world, 
because  he  is  convinced  that  a  fresh  study  of  the  whole 
subject  is  greatly  needed,  and  because  he  is  assured  that 
he  has  a  contribution  to  make  to  its  further  discussion. 
At  the  same  time  he  cordially  invites  the  criticism  of  com- 
petent scholars.  No  one  will  be  more  ready  than  the 
author  to  welcome  fresh  light  from  any  source.     He  prays 


xvi  PEEFACK 

that  whatever  there  may  be  of  error  in  the  book  may 
be  detected  and  slain.  The  truth  will  take  care  of 
itself.  It  cannot  be  resisted  by  the  blind  inertia  of  con- 
servatism, or  overcome  by  the  mad  rush  of  radicahsm. 
Truth  is  divine,  and  it  will  prevail  over  all  obstacles 
and  enemies. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Hebrew  Prophecy,  p.  1. 

I.  The  essential  principle  of  Prophecy,  p.  2.  II.  Tlie  phases  of 
Prophecy,  p.  5.  III.  The  Montanistic  theory  of  Hebrew  Pro-phacy, 
p.  12.  IV.  The  Naturalistic  theory  of  Prophecy,  p.  17.  V.  The 
distinguishing  features  of  Hebrew  Prophecy,  p.  18.  VI.  The 
prophetic  call  and  endowment,  p.  20.  VII.  The  test  of  Prophecy 
p.  22.  VIII.  The  development  of  Prophecy^  p.  24.  IX.  The 
prophetic  idealy  p.  28. 

CHAPTER  II. 

Predictive  Prophecy,  p.  34. 

t.  The  sources  of  Prediction,  p.  36.  II.  Divine  source  of  Hebrew 
Prediction,  p.  39.  III.  The  symbolical  form  of  Hebrew  Predic- 
tion, p.  43.  IV.  The  limits  of  Prediction,  p.  55.  V.  Messianic 
Prophecy,  p.  60.  VI.  The  fulfilment  of  Messianic  Prophecy, 
p  63. 

CHAPTER  III. 

Primitive  Messianic  Ideas,  p.  67. 

I.  The  Protevangehtim, -p.  11.  II.  The  blessing  of  JShem, -p.  *7*7.  III. 
The  blessing  of  Abraham^  p.  83.  IV.  The  blessing  of  Judahy 
p.  93. 

CHAPTER  TV. 

Messianic  Prophecy  in  the  Mosaic  Age,  p.  100. 

I.  Iwrael  the  son  ofJahveh,  p.  100.     IL  The  kingdom  of  God,  p.  101. 

b 


XVm  CONTENTS. 

III.  The  conquering  Star,  p.  104.  IV.  The  everlasting  p'iest' 
hood,  p.  109.  V.  The  prophet  like  Moses,  p.  110.  Vl.  The 
blessing  and  the  curse,  p.  115. 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  Messianic  Idea  in  the  Davidic  Period,  p.  121. 

I.  The  faithful  priesthood,  p.  122.  II.  The  all-Jcnowiing  judge, 
p.  123.  III.  The  covenant  with  David,  p.  126.  IV.  The  con- 
quering hing^  p.  132.  V.  The  enthroned  Messiah,  p.  1 34.  VI. 
The  righteous  king,  p.  137.  VII.  The  bridal  of  the  Messiah, 
p.  140.  VIII.  The  advent  of  Jahveh  as  deliverer,  p.  143.  IX. 
Jahveh  the  victorious  king,  p.  145.  X.  The  ideal  tnan,  p.  146. 
XI.  The  ideal  man  triumphant  in  death,  p.  148. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Messianic  Ideas  of  the  earlier  Prophets,  p.  153. 

I.  The  day  of  Jahveh,  p.  154.  II.  The  rebuilding  of  the  ruined  house 
of  David,  p.  161.     III.  The  Restoration  of  Israel,  p.  165. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Isaiah  and  his  Contemporaries,  p.  180. 

I.  The  exaltation  of  the  house  of  Jahveh,  p.  181.  II.  The  king  of 
J^eace,  p.  184.      III.  Restoration  through  the  sea  Trouble,  p.  185. 

IV.  The  rejected  shepherd^  p.  187.  V.  Purification  of  Zion, 
p.  193.  VI.  Immanuel,  p.  195.  VII.  The  prince  of  peace, 
p.  198.  VIII.  The  fruitful  shoot,  \i.  201.  IX.  Union  of  Egypt 
and  Assyria  with  Israel,  p.  206.  X.  Tlie  coi'ner-stone  of  Zion, 
p.  208.  XL  Zion  the  city  of  the  great  king,  p.  210.  XII.  The 
ruler  from  Bethlehem,  p.  217. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Jeremiah  and  his  Contemporaries,  p.  220. 

I.  The  great  judgment  of  Jahveh,  p.  221.  II.  The  adoption  of  the 
nations  in  Zion,  j).  226.  III.  Tlie  restoration  of  the  vine  Israel, 
p.  228.  IV.  The  advent  of  Jahveh  in  glory,  p.  233.  V.  The 
righteous  judge,  p,  237.  VI.  Jerusalem  the  throne  of  Jahveh,  p.  242. 
VII.  The  righteous  branch,  p.  244.    VIII.  The  restoration  and  the 


CONTENTS.  XIX 

n&io  covenant^  p.  246.     IX.  The  inviolable  covenant  with  David, 
p.  258. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

EZEKIEL,  p.  266. 

I.  Jahvch  the  sanctuary^  p.  268.  II.  The  wonderful  cedar  sprig, 
p.  269.  III.  The  rightful  king,  p.  270.  IV.  The  faithful  shepherd, 
p.  272.  Y .  The  great  jmrification,  ^.^4:.  N\.  The  great  resur- 
rection, p.  275.  VII.  The  great  reunion,  p.  277.  VIII.  The 
judgment  of  Gog,  p.  279.  IX.  The  holy  land  of  the  restoration, 
p.  283. 

CHAPTER  X. 

Prophetic  Voices  out  of  the  Exile,  p.  291. 

I,  The  destruction  of  the  great  metropolis  and  the  annihilation  of 
death  and  sorrow,  p.  296.  II.  The  blood  bath  of  Jahveh,  p.  311. 
III.  The  transformation  of  nature,  p.  317.  IV.  The  great 
sufferer,  p.  320. 

CHAPTER  XI. 

The  Prophecy  of  the  Servant  of  Jahveh,  p.  337. 

I.  The  firrvant  m  whom  Jahveli  is  well  pleased,  p.  342.  II,  Jahveh 
delivers  his  servant  Israel,  p.  348.  III.  The  high  calling  of  the 
servant,  p.  352.  IV.  The  sin-bearing  servant,  p.  356.  V.  The 
great  invitation,  p.  _363.  VI.  The  reward  of  righteousness, 
p.  365.     VII.  The  great  preacher,  p.  369. 

CHAPTER  XII. 

The  Prophecy  of  the  Restoration  of  Zion,  p.  374. 

I.  JahveVs  highway  to  Zion,  p.  374.  II.  Jahveh  the  only  God  and 
Saviour,  p.  378.  III.  Jahveh  is  faithful  to  Zion,  p.  381.  IV. 
Jahveh  the  comforter  of  Zion,  p.  387.  V.  Jahveh' s  house  of  prayer 
for  all  nations,  p.  391.  VI.  Zion  the  light  of  the  world,  p.  394. 
VII.  The  new  Jerusalem,  the  7iew  heavens  and  new  earth,  p.  402. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Daniel,  p.  410. 
I.  The  kingdom  of  the  son  of  man,  p.  412.     II.  The  last  times,  p.  421. 


XX  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  Xiy. 

The  Messianic  Idea  in  the  times  of  the  Eestoration,  p.  428. 

I.  The  march  of  Jdhveh^  p.  429.  II.  The  glory  of  the  new  temple^  p.  436. 
III.  The  glory  of  the  neiv  Jerusalem^  p.  438.  IV.  The  crowning  oj 
the  priest-king,  p.  442.  Y.  Jahveh  the  holy  king,  p.  448.  VI .  The 
land  of  the  glory  of  Jahveh,  p.  457.  VII.  The  ideal  man  triumphant 
over  evil,  p.  459.  VIII.  The  smitten  shepherd,  p.  462.  IX.  The 
unique  day,  p.  466.     X   The  second  Elijah,  p.  473. 

CHAPTER  XV. 

The  Messianic  Ideal,  p.  476. 

I.  The  ideal  of  mankind,  p.  476.  II.  The  conflict  with  evil,  p.  478. 
III.  The  Divine  advent,  p.  478.  IV.  The  holy  land,  p.  481. 
Y,  Jahveh  the  father  and  husband,  p.  482.  VI.  The  kingdom 
of  God,  p.  483.  VII.  The  day  of  Jahveh,  p.  487.  YIII.  The 
holy  priesthood,  p.  490.  IX.  The  faithful  prophet,  p.  491. 
X.  The  Messianic  King,  p.  492.     XI.  The  new  covenanty  p.  496, 


INDEXES. 
Index  of  Texts,  p.  501.    General  Index^  p.  618. 


MESSIAJJ^IC   PROPHECY. 


CHAPTEK  I.  ' 

HEBREW  PROPHECY. 

§  1.  Prophecy  is  religious  instruction.  It  is  an  essential 
feattire  of  the  religion  of  cultivated  nations.  It  first  appears 
as  a  function,  then  develops  into  an  office,  and  at  last 
organizes  an  order. 

Prophecy  appears  in  any  religion  so  soon  as  the  need 
is  felt  of  religious  instruction,  and  therefore  at  a  very 
early  stage  and  among  the  most  primitive  peoples.  It 
manifests  itself  at  first  in  occasional  and  sporadic  forms ; 
but  as  the  religion  advances  into  higher  stages,  it  develops 
into  an  office  in  order  to  give  official  guidance  in  religious 
knowledge  and  practice.  In  the  patriarchal  constitution 
of  society  the  three  functions  of  authority,  prophecy, 
priesthood  and  royalty  are  ordinarily  combined  in  the 
father  of  the  family  and  the  chief  of  the  tribe ;  but  at  a 
very  early  stage  the  function  of  royalty  is  eliminated,  and 
develops  into  the  office  of  a  monarch,  and  at  a  later  stage 
into  a  dynasty :  so  the  function  of  priesthood  is  elimi- 
nated and  develops  into  an  office  and  an  order,  which 
perpetuates  itself  by  lineal  descent  or  adoption.  The 
prophetic  function  is  ordinarily  the  last  to  develop  into 
a  separate  order.     It  retains  its  closer  relations  with  the 

A 


2  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

Deity,  and  therefore  for  a  longer  period  maintains  its  in- 
dependence of  human  relationships.  In  the  highest 
religions  the  three  orders  exist  side  by  side ;  but  the  pro- 
phetic order  seldom  develops  beyond  schools  or  guilds. 
This  difference  of  the  three  functions  in  historical  de- 
velopment originates  from  an  essential  difference  in  the 
functions  themselves;  for  the  function  of  royalty  expresses 
the  idea  of  government,  the  function  of  priesthood  shapes 
the  idea  of  worship,  but  the  function  of  prophecy  is  the 
channel  of  religious  instruction. 

o 

L    THE  ESSENTIAL  PRINCIPLE  OF  PROPHECY. 

§  2.  Pro-phccy  as  religious  instruction  claims  to  come 
from  God  and  to  possess  divine  autliority.  The  iwoijliet 
is  an  officer  of  the  Deity,  ivith  a  commission  from  the  God 
whom  he  serves. 

Hebrew  prophecy  differs  from  other  prophecy  as  the 
Hebrew  religion  differs  from  other  religions.  It  has  the 
common  features  which  disting-uish  prophecy  from  priest- 
hood and  royalty.  It  has  specific  features  which  mark 
it  off  from  the  prophecy  of  all  other  religions.  It  is  our 
purpose  to  rise  from  these  common  features  to  the  specific 
features  of  Hebrew  prophecy. 

Prophecy  as  a  special  function  of  religion  has  the 
essential  characteristics  of  religion  itself.  It  involves 
some  sort  of  union  and  communion  between  the  Deity 
and  man,  whether  it  be  real  or  ideal,  traditional  and 
fictitious,  or  historically  evolved  from  divine  communica- 
tions, pretended,  in  order  to  power  and  influence,  or 
presumed,  owing  to  the  deceptions  of  e\al  spirits,  and 
abnormal  personal  conditions  and  circumstances.  In  any 
case,  the  prophet  claims  to  come  from  God  to  impart 
religious  instruction. 

The  Sacred  Scriptures  recognise  the  Hebrew  prophets 


HEBKEW  PROPHECY.  3 

as  a  species  in  the  general  class  of  prophets.  The  pro- 
phet of  Jahveh  speaks  in  the  name  of  Jahveh,  as  the 
prophet  of  Baal  speaks  in  the  name  of  Baal. 

Hebrew  prophecy  claims  to  be  divine  revelation.  But 
other  prophecy  makes  the  same  claim.  Where  then  is 
the  difference  ?  On  the  one  side  it  is  urged  that  Hebrew 
prophecy  is  all  true,  and  that  the  prophecy  of  all  other 
religions  is  spurious  and  false.  On  the  other  side  it  is 
claimed  that  Hebrew  prophecy,  like  all  other  prophecy,  is 
a  mixture  of  the  true  and  the  false. 

It  is  in  fashion  with  a  certain  sort  of  Christian  apolo- 
gists to  ignore  the  science  of  religion,  and  insist  upon  the 
supernatural  character  of  Biblical  prophecy  over  against 
the  purely  human,  natural  or  false  prophecy  of  the  other 
religions.  They  decline  to  recognise  anything  in  common 
between  Biblical  prophecy  and  other  prophecy.  Such 
opinions  may  now  be  regarded  as  antiquated.^ 

The  scholar  observes  that  the  same  exclusive  claims 
are  put  forth  in  the  interest  of  the  other  great  religions 
of  the  world,  that  their  prophecy  is  the  only  genuine 
prophecy,  and  that  Hebrew  prophecy,  in  its  present  form 
at  least,  is  spurious  and  false.  Is  the  debate  to  be  settled 
by  the  loudest  and  the  longest  dogmatism  ?  Eather  the 
inherent  truth  and  reality  of  the  prophecies  are  the 
determining  factors  and  the  final  tests.  The  science  of 
religion  is  in  entire  accord  with  Hebrew  prophecy,  in 
insisting  upon  the  application  of  the  supreme  test,  of 
veracity.  Biblical  prophecy  claims  to  be  true  and  real. 
It  fears  not  the  most  searching  criticism.  Those  silly 
Uzzahs  who  fear  for  the  ark  of  God  are  guilty  of  pre- 

^  See  Kliper,  Das  Prophetenthum  des  Alien  Bundes,  p.  5,  Leipzig 
1870.  Tholuck  justly  states,  "Wie  gross  audi  der  Sf)ielrauni  der 
dem  Priesterbetrug  und  aberglaubischer  Selbstfauschuiig  zuge- 
schrieben  werden  mag-dass  eine  Realitat  dabei  zu  Grunde  gelegen, 
ist  nun  allgemein  bei  Philologen  und  Alterthumsforschern  zur 
Anerkennung  gekommen." — Die  Propheten,  p.  2,  Gotha  1860. 


4  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

sumption  when  they  stretch  forth  impotent  hands  to 
prevent  investigation.  But  real  Christian  scholars  who 
are  faithful  to  the  word  of  God  are  not  only  willing  that 
the  tests  should  be  applied  by  the  doubtful  and  the  in- 
quiring ;  but  they  are  determined  to  destroy  doubt  and 
to  solicit  faith  by  applying  the  tests  themselves  in  the 
most  thorough,  comprehensive  and  exhaustive  investiga- 
tion. For  the  fires  of  criticism  consume  the  hay,  straw 
and  stubble  of  human  conceits  and  inventions  which  sprang 
from  false  methods  of  interpretation  and  preconceived 
theories  of  what  prophecy  ought  to  be.  But  all  that  is 
really  valuable  abides  the  test  and  rises  in  majesty  above 
the  ashes  of  human  traditions. 

Hebrew  prophecy  does  not  claim  to  be  the  only  genuine 
prophecy.  The  Old  Testament  Scriptures  represent  pro- 
phecy as  extending  beyond  the  range  of  the  chosen 
people  in  Melchizedek,  Jethro,  and  Balaam.-^  It  is  not 
necessary,  in  the  interests  of  the  Christian  religion, 
to  insist  that  God  left  all  other  nations  except  Israel 
without  religious  guidance.  The  more  the  great  historic 
religions  of  the  world  are  studied  in  their  genesis  and 
their  relations  to  the  peoples  who  were  influenced  by 
them,  the  more  truth,  beauty  and  good  are  found  in  them. 
They  had  their  appropriate  task  in  preparing  the  nations 
of  the  world  for  the  higher  religion  when  it  should  come 
to  them  in  the  fulness  of  time.^ 

It  was  once  the  fashion  to  explain  the  good  features 
of  the  other  religions  as  relics  of  the  primitive  divine 
revelations  recorded  in  the  Bible,  or  as  derived  in  some 
mysterious  way  from  the  Hebrews.  But  this  fashion  has 
passed  away  with  the  unscientific  age.  It  has  become 
evident  that  the  facts  are  entirely  different.  The  excellent 
features  of  the  prophecy  of  the  great  historic  religions  of 

*  Gen.  xiv.  18  ;  Ex.  xviii.  ;  Num.  xxiii.-xxiv. 

*  See  Cave,  Introduction  to  Theology^  p.  168  seq.,  Edin.  1886. 


HEBKEW  PROPHECY.  5 

the  world  should  be  recognised  and  not  resisted.  If  they 
are  not  as  high  in  their  order  as  the  Biblical  religions, 
they  are  still  historic  religions  that  have  served  multi- 
tudes of  our  race  in  their  efforts  to  worship  the  Deity. 
It  is  unwise  to  explain  them  away  by  violent  interpre- 
tations. Those  who  attack  these  religions  by  putting 
the  worst  constructions  upon  their  prophecy  ought  to 
remember  that  they  encourage  the  enemies  of  the  Christian 
religion  to  treat  Hebrew  prophecy  in  the  same  arbitrary 
way.  No  argument  can  safely  be  used  against  heathen 
prophecy  that  may  react  to  the  damage  of  Hebrew  pro- 
phecy. All  prophecy  must  submit  to  the  same  tests. 
The  tests  will  determine  the  extent  of  truth  and  false- 
hood in  every  prophecy  of  every  religion.  It  is  the 
Biblical  and  the  scientific  method  to  examine  the  pheno- 
mena and  to  abide  by  the  results.^ 

II.   THE  PHASES  OF  PROPHECY. 

§  3.  There  are  three  phases  of  prophecy  which  are 
common  to  the  religions  of  the  world  —  the  dream,  the 
vision,  and  the  enlightened  spiritual  discernment, 

1  We  are  entirely  agreed  with  Dr.  Maiidsley,  "  If  all  visions, 
intuitions  and  other  modes  of  communication  with  the  supernatural, 
accredited  now  or  at  any  time,  have  been  no  more  than  phenomena 
of  psychology, — instances,  that  is,  of  subnormal,  supernormal,  or 
abnormal  mental  function, — and  if  all  existing  supernatural  beliefs 
are  survivals  of  a  state  of  thought  befitting  lower  stages  of  human 
development,  the  continuance  of  such  beliefs  cannot  be  helpful,  it 
must  be  hurtful,  to  human  progress." — Natural  Causes  and  Super- 
natural Seemings,  pp.  361-62,  London  1886.  But  it  is  altogether 
unscientific  to  conclude  from  the  fact  that  a  very  large  number  of 
supposed  communications  with  the  supernatural  have  been  shown 
to  be  spurious,  that  therefore  all  others,  even  those  of  the  Biblical 
religions,  must  be  spurious  likewise.  A  searching  examination  dis- 
criminates between  true  and  false  prophecy,  just  as  clearly  as  it 
exposes  every  form  of  false  science  and  philosophy.  Men  of  science 
like  Dr.  Maudsley  are  as  liable  to  slip  in  their  hostility  to  the  super- 
natural, as  are  theologians  in  their  prejudices  in  favour  of  the 
supernatural. 


b  MESSIANIC  PROPEECY. 

These  three  phases  of  prophecy  are  familiar  to  the 
reader  of  the  Scriptures.  But  he  will  find  them  also  in 
the  great  religions  of  the  world.  The  prophet  Joel 
embraces  them  in  his  representation  of  the  universal 
distribution  of  the  prophetic  gifts  in  the  last  age  of  the 
world,  when  the  divine  Spirit  comes  upon  all  classes  and 
conditions  of  men. 

"  Your  sons  and  your  daughters  will  prophesy, 
Your  old  men  will  dream  dreams, 
Your  young  men  will  see  visions."  — ^Joel  iii.  1. 

§  4.  The  dream  is  the  simplest  phase  of  prophecy.  It 
may  arise  from  an  abnormal  condition  of  the  tody,  or 
from  the  stimulation  of  a  higher  'power.  It  may  he  genuine 
prophecy  or  spurious  prophecy.  Tliere  is  n£ed  of  discrimi- 
nating tests. 

A  dream  has  something  of  the  wonderful  about  it, 
however  it  may  originate.  The  man  is  so  far  passive  to 
the  impressions  that  are  made  upon  him  from  without. 
Even  when  an  excited  organism  or  an  abnormal  condition 
of  the  body  occasions  the  dream,  it  is  beyond  the  control 
of  the  will  of  the  subject ;  he  is  passive  to  the  operations 
of  his  own  higher  powers,  even  though  in  some  sense 
directing  them.  He  is  unable  to  resist  the  movement 
of  his  intellectual  and  emotional  nature,  which  is  hurried 
on  by  an  impulse  external  to  himself.  It  is  not 
surprising  that  uncultivated  persons  and  rude  nations 
should  ascribe  this  impulse  to  e\il  spirits  or  the  heavenly 
powers.  There  is  indeed  in  the  spontaneous  workings 
of  the  intellectual  and  emotional  nature  in  dreams  a 
facility  which  is  unknown  except  in  sleep.  Unguided 
and  unrestrained  by  external  considerations  and  circum- 
stances, or  by  the  higher  motives  and  principles  of  the 
reason  and  the  will,  the  human  spirit  rushes  on  like  a 
mountain  torrent  into  the  impending  evil,  or  wings  its 


HEBKEW  PROPHECY.  7 

flight  like  an  eagle  to  the  coining  good.  There  is  not 
infrequently  in  the  dream  an  instinctive  discernment  of 
the  issues  of  the  present  circumstances  in  which  we  or 
others  may  be  involved. 

The  dream  plays  an  important  part  in  the  prophecy 
of  the  Bible,  in  guiding  the  patriarchs  of  Israel  and  the 
human  guardians  of  the  Messiah,  in  the  deliverance  of 
Israel  in  Egypt  and  at  Babylon.  But  the  dream  is  a 
trouble  to  the  monarchs  of  Egypt  and  Babylon  without 
an  interpreter.  A  Joseph  and  a  Daniel  were  needed  to 
voice  their  prophecies.  But  to  the  patriarchs  and  other 
sacred  persons  the  dream  was  accompanied  with  its  pro- 
phetic interpretation.  The  dream  may  or  may  not  be 
prophetic.  It  may  be  instinctive  prophecy  or  it  may  be 
divine  prophecy.  It  may  bear  its  interpretation  with 
itself  or  it  may  need  a  prophetic  interpreter.  Tliis 
prophetic  interpreter  may  be  a  real  prophet  or  he  may 
be  self-deceived  or  a  deceiver.  The  dream  is  therefore 
simply  a  phase  of  prophecy,  a  test  is  needed  to  determine 
whether  there  be  prophecy  in  it  or  not. 

§  5.  The  most  common  phase  of  pro])hecy  is  the  ecstatic 
state.  This  may  he  either  naturalj  as  in  epileptics  and 
persons  who  through  nervous  derangement  have  an  abnormal 
intellectual  and  emotional  development,  or  artificial,  where 
the  nervous  organization  is  excited  hy  external  stimulaiits, 
or  the  agency  of  evil  spirits,  or  the  divine  Spirit. 

In  a  rude  and  uncultivated  age  epileptic  and  deranged 
persons  are  regarded  as  possessed  by  evil  spirits  or  the 
divine  Spirit.  Whether  the  spirit  be  good  or  evil,  the 
Spirit  of  the  one  God  or  the  influence  of  some  one  deity 
of  a  polytheistic  system,  depends  more  upon  the  religion  of 
the  people  than  upon  the  phenomenon  itself.  Such  persons 
have  strange  experiences  and  utter  marvellous  sayings, 
which  are  regarded  as   coming  from  the  Deity  to  warn 


8  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

and  guide  mankind.  These  are  unnatural  and  beyond 
experience,  they  are  therefore  regarded  as  supernatural. 
The  ecstatic  state  is  commonly  produced  by  artificial 
means.  Those  peculiarly  inclined  to  it  learn  the  art  of 
casting  themselves  into  it,  in  order  to  enjoy  the  benefits 
to  be  derived  therefrom.  The  prophets  of  Baal  cut 
themselves  with  knives,  and  cried  out  for  hours  in  frenzy 
for  prophetic  inspiration.      The  450  prophets  of  Baal 

"called  on  the  name  of  Baal  from  morning  even  until  noon, 
saying,  O  Baal,  answer  us.  But  there  was  no  voice,  nor  any  that 
answered.  And  they  leaped  about  the  altar  which  was  made.  And 
it  came  to  pass  at  noon,  that  Elijah  mocked  them,  and  said,  Cry  with 
a  loud  voice,  for  he  is  god  ;  either  he  is  musing,  or  he  is  gone  aside, 
or  he  has  a  journey,  or  peradventure  he  sleepeth,  and  he  must  be 
awaked.  And  they  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  and  cut  themselves 
after  their  manner  with  swords  and  lances  until  the  blood  gushed 
out  upon  them.  And  it  was  so,  when  mid- day  was  past,  that  they 
prophesied  until  the  time  of  the  offering  up  of  the  Minchah.^^  ^ 

The  necromancers  are  represented  as  chirping  and 
muttering  in  the  practice  of  their  art.^  The  Shamans  of 
Eastern  Asia  use  a  tambourine  and  stimulants  until  they 
cast  themselves  into  an  unconscious  state,  and  then  are 
aroused  to  answer  questions  which  are  put  to  them. 
Their  answers  are  often  surprisingly  accurate,  although 
they  know  nothing  that  has  transpired  when  they  awake 
into  consciousness  again.^  The  Grecian  prophetesses 
were  filled  with  the  prophetic  ecstasy  by  the  foul  gases 

1  1  Kings  xviii.  26  seq.  HDD  =  leap,  dance,  h])  is  at  or  about 
the  altar.  It  is  the  sacred  dance,  the  frenzied  ecstatic  whirling.  I 
prefer  to  leave  nni?D  untranslated  and  transliterate  it.  It  is  the 
evening  vegetable  offering,  probably  consisting  of  grain  or  cakes. 
There  is  danger  of  misconce]jtion  in  the  rendering  "  oblation  "  given 
in  the  R.Y.  as  well  as  in  the  "sacrifice"  of  the  A.V.  There  is  no 
good  reason  for  thinking  that  nmo  is  here  used  for  offering  in 
general,  and  there  is  lack  of  evidence  as  to  the  exact  kind  of  vege- 
table offering  used  at  this  time. 

2  Tsa.  viii.  19. 

^  Tholuck,  Die  Propheten^  p.  8  seq. 


HEBREW  rr.OPHECY.  9 

arising  from  clefts  in  the  rocks.  There  the  Grecian 
oracles  were  established  and  temples  erected  as  at 
Delphi,  Dodona  and  elsewhere."^  At  the  present  day 
the  Dervishes  of  Mahometans  cast  themselves  into  the 
ecstatic  state  by  whirling  themselves  in  a  circle  or  by 
howling  for  a  long  time.  The  Indian  Fakirs  cut  them- 
selves with  knives  as  did  the  ancient  prophets  of  Baal. 
There  are  also  in  the  unconscious  somnambulism  and  the 
gift  of  second  sight  kindred  phenomena.  In  these  ecstatic 
conditions  involving  unconsciousness  to  the  external  world 
the  inner  emotional  and  intellectual  nature  moves  with 
great  rapidity  and  freedom,  and,  as  in  the  dream, 
reaches  solutions  of  difficult  problems  and  discerns  the 
issues  of  events  far  and  near.  As  in  the  dream  so  in 
the  ecstatic  state,  there  may  be  instinctive  prediction 
and  instinctive  guidance  through  difficulties ;  or  there 
may  be  entire  failure.  Biblical  prophecy  exhibits  similar 
conditions  of  ecstasy.  We  have  a  picture  of  a  band  of 
prophets  coming  down  from  the  high  place  with  psaltery 
and  timbrel  and  pipe  and  harp,  and  prophesying ;  and 
Saul  meeting  them,  the  Spirit  of  Jahveh  came  upon  him 
and  he  prophesied  with  them.^  Again  Saul  went  to 
seek  David  and  "  the  Spirit  of  God  came  upon  him,  and 
he  went  on  and  prophesied  until  he  came  to  Naioth  in 
Eamah.  And  he  also  stripped  off  his  clothes,  and  he 
also  prophesied  before  Samuel,  and  fell  down  naked  all 
that  day  and  all  that  night.  Wherefore  they  say.  Is  Saul 
also  among  the  prophets  ?  "  ^ 

As  in  the  dream,  so  now  in  the  ecstatic  state.  It  is 
common  to  the  religions  of  mankind.  It  is  not  absent 
from  the  Hebrew  religion.  It  is  not  peculiar  to  the 
Hebrew  religion.  There  is  nothing  in  the  ecstatic  state 
as    such   to    determine   whether   it   results   from   divine 

^  Tholuck,  Die  PropheteUy  p.  6  seq, ;  Maudsley  in  I.e.  p.  176  seq. 
*  1  Sam.  X.  5  seq.  ^  1  Sam.  xix.  23  seq. 


10  MESSIANIC  PKOniECY. 

influence  or  not.  Every  ecstatic  state  should  be 
tested  ere  it  be  accepted  as  the  product  of  genuine 
prophecy.^ 

§*6.   There   is  also  a    higher   order  of  prophets,    who 
through  retirement  and  contemplation  of  the  sacred  mysteries 

1  If  we  are  not  to  assume,  with  the  ignorant  and  barbarous  races, 
that  the  ecstatic  state  always  has  something  of  the  supernatural 
about  it,  we  are  also  not  to  assume,  with  modern  naturalistic 
scholars,  that  the  ecstatic  state  is  never  employed  by  supernatural 
powers.  For  if  the  ecstatic  state  may  be  occasioned  by  disease  or 
by  stimulants,  why  may  it  not  be  occasioned  by  the  stimulation  of 
an  evil  spirit  or  a  good  spirit  ?  True  science  will  not  close  its  eyes 
to  the  question.  There  is  no  a  priori  objection  to  it  that  does  not 
arise  beyond  the  domain  of  science,  namely,  in  scepticism  as  to  the 
supernatural,  or  positive  denial  of  the  supernatural,  Maudsley  is 
obliged  to  admit  that  the  best  work  of  the  world  has  been  done 
under  illusion  (in  I.e.  p.  207),  and  that  those  who  believe  seriously 
in  the  transcendent  importance  of  human  life,  take  it  in  tragic;il 
earnest,  and  are  reaily  to  sacrifice  strength  and  wealth  and  even  life 
in  its  service,  are  mainly  or  wholly  dupes  (p.  240).  But  most  sober- 
minded  students  will  conclude  that  the  serious,  the  devout,  the  self- 
sacrificing  reformers  of  the  world  are  after  all  more  likely  to  be 
correct  when  they  claim  that  they  have  been  guided  by  a  higher 
power,  and  that  the  illusion  and  self-deception  are  rather  with 
those  who  cannot  understand  them,  and  who  stubbornly  close  their 
eyes  to  all  the  avenues  that  lead  to  the  God  of  all  grace.  Kuenen 
is  more  scientific  when  he  says — 

"  A  specific  supernatural  character  can  in  no  wise  be  ascribed  to 
the  trance  ;  its  divine  origin  is  not  at  all  self-evident, — phenomena 
of  that  nature  were  far  from  uncommon  in  ancient  times  and  in  the 
Middle  Ages,  as  it  occurs  even  at  the  present  day.  It  is  true  that  for 
a  long  time  people  had  no  hesitation  in  ascribing  them  to  super- 
natural influence.  They  seemed  so  singular  and  extraordinary  that 
this  explanation  forced  itself  quite  naturally  on  men's  minds. 
What  could  not  be  derived  from  God  was  therefore  regarded  as  a 
display  of  the  power  of  the  devil.  But  we  now  no  longer  occupy 
that  standpoint.  Ecstasy  is  now  accurately  studied,  compared  with 
other  affections  allied  to  it,  and  is  explained  from  the  human 
organism  itself,  specifically  from  the  nervous  system.  It  may  be — 
on  that  point  I  determine  nothing  at  present— that  the  trances  of 
the  Israelitish  prophets  were  of  a  nature  altogether  different ;  but 
that  must  be  proved  separately,  for  ecstasy  in  itself  is  no  super- 
natural phenomenon.  It  does  not  therefore  advance  us  a  step  in 
determining  the  origin  of  Old  Testament  prophecy." — Kuenen's 
Prophets  and  Prophecij  in  Israel,  p.  80,  London  1871.  See  also 
Ladd,  Doctnne  of  Sacred  Scripture^  ii.  p.  440  seq.     1883. 


HEBEEW  PROPHECY.  11 

of  religion  "have  "been  sinritnally  enligMemed  to  discern 
truths  of  a  higher  order  than  their  fellows  and  to  experience 
emotions  of  a  deeper  and  more  absorbing  intensity.  They 
have  wondrous  powers  of  insight  and  forecast.  TJiey  read 
and  interpret  character  and  affairs.  They  are  the  masters 
of  the  past  and  the  present,  and  they  point  the  way  con- 
fidently into  the  future. 

Such  prophets  of  a  higher  grade  exist  among  the 
various  religions  of  the  world.  Who  can  say  that  they 
are  mere  deceivers  or  enthusiasts  ?  "Who  can  deny  that 
some  of  them  at  least  may  have  been  guided  by  the 
divine  Spirit  in  the  ordinary  influences  of  the  divine 
Providence  in  their  spiritual  reflections  and  activities 
while  they  have  been  feeling  after  God  ?  If  the  Hebrew 
prophets  were  not  only  for  Israel  alone,  but  also  in  the 
end  for  the  entire  world,  was  there  not  a  preparation 
needed  by  the  other  nations  of  the  world  to  receive 
the  prophecy  of  the  Bible  at  the  proper  time ;  and 
how  could  that  preparation  be  so  well  accomplished 
as  by  prophetic  voices  in  the  midst  of  the  other 
religions  ? 

Looking  at  these  widespread  phenomena  of  prophecy, 
we  find  that  Hebrew  prophecy  exhibits  similar  pheno- 
mena. These  are  then  the  physical  and  psychological 
conditions  of  all  prophecy,  and  are  not  peculiar  features 
of  Hebrew  prophecy.^ 

Starting  from  these  phases  of  prophecy  which  are 
common   to  the   Hebrews   and   other  nations,  two  con- 

*  Cicero  already  discriminated  the  higher  order  of  prophecy  from 
the  lesser,  "  Duo  genera  divinationum  esse  dixerunt,  unum  quod 
particeps  esset  artis,  alterum  quod  arte  careret.  Est  enim  ars  in  iis, 
qui  novas  res  conjectura  consequuntur,  veteres  observatione  didi- 
cerunt.  Carent  autem  arte  ii,  qui  non  ratione  aut  conjectura, 
observatis  aut  notatis  signis,  sed  concitatione  quadam  animi  aut 
soluto  liberoque  motu  futura  prsesentiunt,  quod  et  somniantibus 
persrepe  contingit  et  non  nunquam  vaticinantibus  per  furorem." — 
Cicero,  de  dvoin.  i.  18. 


12  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

trasted  positions  are  taken  and  erroneous  theories  are 
constructed  hj  laying  an  undue  emphasis  upon  one  phase 
or  another. 


m.    THE  MOXTANISTIC  THEOEY  OF  HEBREW  PROPHECY. 

§  7.  The  Montanistic  theory  represents  tlu  prophets  as 
passive  instruments  of  the  divine  Spirit.  The  ecstatic  state 
with  its  vision  is  the  essential  feature  of  prophecy.  The 
pro'phet  sees  or  hears  tlie  revelation  as  something  external 
to  himself  and  declares  it  is  an  eccternal  thing.  He  is 
taken  possession  of  hy  the  divine  Spirit y  so  that  his  speech 
and  writing  are  nx)  longer  his  own,  hut  the  Sjjirifs,  using 
him  as  an  instrument. 

It  should  not  be  denied  that  this  phase  of  prophecy 
does  occur  in  the  Bible.  The  hand  of  Jahveh  is  laid 
upon  such  men  as  Gideon,  Jephtha  and  Samson,  making 
them  mere  instruments  or  channels  of  divine  influence. 
The  prophetic  mania  comes  upon  a  man  like  Saul.  There 
is  a  dreaming  of  dreams  by  Pharaoh  and  Xebuchadnezzar ; 
there  is  a  seeing  of  visions  by  Balaam,  and  the  hearing  of 
a  divine  voice  as  by  the  child  Samuel;  and  we  find 
instruments  of  the  most  passive  kind  in  the  serpent  of 
Eden  and  the  ass  of  Balaam.  But  these  are  all  of  the 
lower  phases  of  prophecy  where  the  divine  Spirit  deals 
with  incapable  instruments  ;  rude  men,  heathen  kings, 
coarser  spirits,  untutored  boys,  who  had  little  suscepti- 
biUty  for  communion  with  God,  and  with  dumb  beasts. 
It  is  not  the  appropriate  method  for  spiritual  and  devout 
souls. 

Balaam  receives  revelations  in  dreams.  His  ecstatic 
state  is  vividly  described.  He  lies  prostrate  with  closed 
eyes,  seeing  a  ^dsion  and  hearing  words,  which  he  is  con- 
strained to  utter  acrainst  his  will : 

o 


HEBREW  PROPHECY.  13 

"  Utterance  of  Balaam  son  of  Beor, 
Utterance  of  the  man  with  closed  eyes, 
Utterance  of  the  one  hearing  the  sayings  of  '-£7, 
And  knowing  the  knowledge  of  'ElyoUy 
Who  sees  the  vision  of  Shadday^ 
Lying  prostrate  and  with  eyes  opened."  ^ 

But  Moses  the  prophet  of  Jahveh  is  vastly  higher  than 
this.  God  does  not  speak  to  him  in  visions,  dreams,  or 
riddles,  but  face  to  face,  shows  him  His  form,  and  grants 
him  His  communion. 

"  If  one  is  to  be  your  prophet, 
I,  Jahveh,  in  the  vision  make  myself  known  to  him  ; 
In  a  dream  I  speak  with  him. 
Not  so  my  servant  Moses, 
With  all  my  house  he  is  entrusted, 
Mouth  to  mouth  I  speak  with  him, 
In  an  appearance  without  riddles  ;  2 
And  the  form  of  Jahveh  he  beholds. 
Why  then  do  ye  not  fear 
To  speak  against  my  servant  Moses  ? "  * 

Moses  is  the  model  of  all  subsequent  prophecy.  The 
prophet  who  is  to  give  divine  instruction  to  Israel  is  like 
him.*  Hebrew  prophecy  is  ordinarily  of  the  highest 
phase.  It  has  its  psychological  basis  in  what  we  observe 
in  the  highest  order  of  prophets  among  the  heathen. 
Those   isolated   cases   on  which  the   modern  Montanists 

1  Num.  xxiv.  15,  16.  We  give  the  Hebrew  divine  names  in 
transliteration  in  order  to  show  the  differences  which  are  obscured 
by  translation.  ^^,  ^El,  is  the  Strong.  By  rendering  God  the  difFer- 
ence  between  it  and  DTl^S  is  obscured.  jV^y, '  Ely  on,  is  an  archaic 
intensive  plural  form  with  the  meaning  Most  High.  ntJ^,  Shadday, 
has  the  meaning  Almighty. 

2  The  Massoretic  text  reads  n^iroi,  and  so  does  the  Vulgate,  but 
the  Vulgate  renders  et  palam.  The  Samaritan  codex  and  the  LXX. 
read  ni^"i?D3,  and  the  LXX.  renders  h  si'hi,  which  is  better  suited  to 
the  context  and  the  paralleliism. 

8  Num.  xii.  6-8.     This  little  piece  is  poetry,  and  we  present  it 
in  the  lines  of  parallelism. 
*  Deut.  xviii.  18. 


14  MESSIANIC  PKOPIIECY. 

build  their  theory  amount  to  nothing  more  than  a  lower 
order  of  a  more  general  class.  They  give  at  best  a 
mechanical,  a  magical  sort  of  prophecy.  The  great  mass 
of  Hebrew  prophecy — compared  with  which  the  cases 
referred  to  are  trifling  in  number — exhibits  a  revelation 
of  a  vastly  higher  character.  It  is  not  external,  mechani- 
cal, or  magical,  but  internal,  spiritual  and  intelligent. 
Hebrew  prophecy  is  through  the  enlightenment  of  the 
mind  of  the  prophet,  the  stimulation  of  his  moral  nature, 
the  constraining  of  his  will,  under  the  most  sublime 
motives,  the  assurance  of  his  soul  that  he  is  in  possession 
of  divine  truth,  and  that  he  is  commissioned  to  declare  it.^ 
The  most  primitive  form  of  prophecy  among  the 
Hebrews  was  doubtless  of  the  lowest  phases,  external 
revelations,  through  dreams  or  in  ecstatic  visions.  From 
this  point  of  view  the  prophet  was  in  the  most  ancient 
times  called  a  seer,  and  his  prophecy  a  vision^ — not  seen 

^  See  Eiehm,  Messianische  Weissagu7ig,  2  Aufl.  p.  21  seq.,  Gotha 
1885  ;  Messianic  Prophecy,  p.  20,  Edin.  1876.  Hengstenberg  in 
modern  times  laid  great  stress  upon  the  organ  of  sight  in  the  ecstiitic 
state  of  Biblical  prophecy.  Few  modern  scholars  have  been  able  to 
follow  him.  In  more  recent  times  Konig  has  emphasized  the  organ 
of  hearing  and  the  divine  communication  through  words  and  speech. 
It  is  quite  evident  that  divine  communications  are  more  frequent,  in 
the  Old  Testament  representations,  to  the  ear  than  to  the  eye. 
Sometimes  both  organs  are  open  to  divine  revelation.  But  it  seems 
to  us  that  Konig  has  failed  in  his  emphasis  upon  hearing,  no 
less  than  Hengstenberg  in  his  emphasis  upon  seeing.  The  criti- 
cism of  Eiehm  upon  his  theory  is  quite  just.  It  is  sufficient  that 
we  recognise  the  divine  origin  of  the  communication  as  external 
to  the  soul  of  man.  There  are  no  sufficient  reasons  for  extending 
this  external  origin  to  the  form  and  the  mode  of  the  communication! 
The  stimulation  of  the  higher  nature  of  man  by  a  divine  impulse  is 
all  that  can  be  proven  with  reference  to  the  mass  of  Hebrew 
prophecy.  The  mode  of  the  stimulation  seems  to  be  ordinarily 
within  the  man,  when  his  powers  are  active  and  not  passive,  when 
the  divine  ideal  sjjrings  up  in  the  forms  of  the  i)rophet'3  own  think- 
ing and  expression.  See  Riehm  in  I.e.  p.  22  seq.,  and  Konig  in  I.e. 
ii.  pp.  142  seq.,  360  seq. 

^  nsh  =  seer,  and  its  synonymous  nm,  gazer,  beholder.  That 
which  is  seen  is  also  called  r\\iC\\:i  or  HTriD  or  pM  =  vision.     There 


HEBREW  PROPHECY.  15 

indeed  with  the  physical  eyes,  for  these  were  closed  in 
slumber  or  in  unconsciousness  to  the  external  world — 
but  seen  by  the  inner  eye.  But  even  here  in  this  lowest 
sphere  of  Hebrew  prophecy,  where  the  prophet  was 
merely  passive  and  the  vision  or  dream  an  object  of  in- 
ternal sight,  there  is  the  presence  of  God  in  a  distinguished 
manner,  as  in  the  theophanies  of  the  heavenly  ladder  in 
Jacob's  dream,  the  fiery  furnace  in  Abraham's  vision,  and 
the  cherubic  chariot  in  the  vision  of  Ezekiel.^  There  is 
also  an  interpreting  voice  which  guides  the  inner  eye  to 
see  and  to  understand  what  it  could  not  otherwise  observe. 
For  unless  the  dream  and  the  vision  of  Hebrew  prophecy 
were  something  more  than  mere  dream  or  vision,  unless 
they  have  with  them  the  peculiar  marks  of  the  Deity,  we 
could  not  accept  them  as  divine.  It  is  in  these  lower 
grades  of  prophecy  that  we  find  the  specific  features  of 
Hebrew  prophecy  as  well  as  in  the  higher. 

But  the  later,  higher  and  more  common  name  of  the 
Hebrew  prophet  is  Nabi,'^  which  means  speaker,  or 
preacher.  From  this  point  of  view  the  prophetic  word 
is    called    suggestion,    communication,    or    utterance    of 

is  no  such  distinction  between  these  terms  as  Konig  finds  {Ofen- 
harungshegriff,  ii.  p.  29  seq.,  Leipzig  1882.    See  Kiehm  in  I.e.  p.  45). 

1  Gen.  xxviii.  12  seq.  ;  Gen.  xv.  12  seq.  ;  Ezek.  i. 

^  S^D3  is  an  intransitive  noun  from  the  stem  5^33.  It  is  not  found 
in  the  active  or  passive  species,  but  only  in  the  reflexive,  either  the 
Niphal  or  Hithpael.  It  is  kindred  with  21^,  which  is  used  of  the 
coming  forth  of  fruit.  So  in  Prov.  x.  31,  "The  mouth  of  the 
righteous  putteth  forth  wisdom."  It  is  hke  the  Arabic  naha)a  =  to 
riae  up,  become  audible,  to  proclaim,  and  the  Assyrian  nabit  =  to 
call,  proclaim,  name.  ^5''3D  is  therefore  the  spokesman,  preacher. 
This  is  essentially  the  view  of  most  recent  interpreters,  Ewald, 
Fleischer,  Delitzsch,  Konig,  Miilau,  and  Volck,  et  al.  Kuenen 
objects  that  the  Arabic  verb  is  more  likely  a  denominative,  and  that 
the  Arabic  noun  was  derived  from  the  Hebrew,  and  that  furthermore 
the  verb  is  used  in  Hebrew  only  in  the  reflexive  species  {Prophets^ 
p.  42).  But  this  does  not  explain  the  Assyrian  verb,  and  the 
reflexive  species  properly  mean  to  act  as  spokesman  or  preacher. 
Kuenen  agrees  with  Tholuck,  Gesenius,  et  al.,  that  ^^33  is  a  passive 
noun,  from  J533,  kindred  with  j;3j  =  to  boil  up,  pour  forth,  and  that 


16  MESSIAXIC  PROPHECY. 

God  ;  or  "  word  of  Jahveh ; "  ^  or  message,^  which  the 
prophet  was  to  lift  up  in  song  or  preaching. 

So  from  this  higher  point  of  view  the  prophet  is  called 
servant  of  God,  involving  a  close  relationship  to  the  Deity 
as  His  own  servant — a  man  of  God,  and  also  a  man  of 
the  Spirit.^ 

Indeed,  so  close  is  the  intimacy  between  Jahveh  and 
His  prophets  that 

"  Surely  'Adonay  Jahveh  doeth  nothing, 

Unless  he  hath  revealed  his  secret  plan  to  his  servants  the  prophets. 

Hath  a  lion  roared,  who  will  not  hear  ? 

Hath  'Adonay  Jahveh  spoken,  who  will  not  prophesy  ? "  * 

These  prophets  are  therefore  like  Moses,  in  close  union 
and  constant  communion  with  their  God.  They  ordinarily 
depend  upon  a  subjective  and  internal  communication 
tlirough  the  stimulation  of  their  higher  nature  to  per- 
ception, conception,  comprehension  and  expressive  utter- 


the  prophet  is  one  who  is  caused  to  boil  over  with  the  divine  word. 
They  refer  to  l^m  in  Ps.  xlv.  2  for  the  idea.  Hupfeld,  Eiehm, 
Schultz,  et  al.,  compare  ii2:  with  DX3,  and  take  them  both  as  passive 
forms  with  kindred  meaning.  But  most  scholars  regard  DNJ  as 
meaning,  breathe,  whisper.  It  is  found  in  the  verbal  form  only  in 
Jer.  xxiii.  31.  It  is  elsewhere  used  as  a  passive  part,  construct  before 
God  or  the  prophet,  or  a  personification  of  evil  (Ps.  xxxv.  12).  It 
seems  to  us  that  the  stems  are  similar,  and  they  must  have  synony- 
mous meaning.  Namu  is  found  in  late  Babylonian  with  the  meaning 
proclaim.  We  prefer  to  regard  fc^u:  as  preacher  and  Dx:  as 
utterance. 

^  Twrs"^  i:n  is  used  but  once  in  the  Pentateuch,  in  Gen.  xv.  1,  where 
it  differs  from  the  mode  of  revelation  in  the  context,  and  seems  to 
be  the  generaHzation  of  a  later  editor.  It  is  a  frequent  term  in  the 
prophets, 

^  NJ^'D  is  a  noun  formed  by  D  from  ^^y^  =  to  lift  up.  It  is  the 
message  that  the  prophet  lifts  up  in  song  or  preaching.  It  is  usually 
found  in  connection  with  predictions  of  judgment  or  warnings,  and 
is  commonly  rendered  burden. 

^  nnn  CJ'"'X  (Hos.  ix.  7)  indicates  that  the  prophet  is  a  man  acting 
with  divine  authority  and  under  the  influence  of  the  divine  Spirit. 

*  Amos  iii.  7,  8.     '•jnx,  ^Adonay,  the  Lord. 


HEBREW  PROPHECY.  17 

ance  of  the  mysterious  counsels  of  divine  revelation,  by 
the  voice  and  the  pen.-^ 


IV.    THE  NATURALISTIC  THEORY  OF  PROPHECY. 

§  8.  The  naturalistic  theory  starts  from  the  highest 
'phase  of  prophecy  which  exists  among  the  heathen.  It 
brings  into  view  the  wondrous  insight  and  foresight  of  men 
of  genius.  It  points  to  the  great  religious  teachers  of  the 
world  outside  of  the  Hebrew  nation.  It  claims  that  the 
Hebrew  prophets  were  men  of  the  same  kind,  though  of  a 
higher  and  nobler  grade,  in  the  measure  that  their  religious 
conceptions  were  higher  and  nobler. 

We  admit  that  the  productions  of  human  genius  and 
the  religious  teachings  of  the  prophets  of  the  religions  of 
the  world  may  be  explained  sufficiently  by  the  ordinary 
operations  of  divine  providence  upon  the  souls  of  men, 
without  extraordinary  divine  influence.  But  we  claim 
that  Hebrew  prophecy  cannot  be  explained  in  tliis  way. 
We  recognise  common  features  in  Hebrew  prophecy  and 
other  prophecy  so  far  as  these  have  been  traced.  But 
after  all  that  is  common  has  been  eliminated,  that  which 
is  peculiar  to  Hebrew  prophecy  is  of  such  a  character  as 
to  prove  its  divine  origin  and  guidance. 

A  careful  discrimination  of  the  elements  found  in  the 
prophecy  of  all  other  religions  and  in  the  Hebrew 
religion,  and  the  comparison  of  the  results,  brings  the 
vastly  higher  and  grander  features  of  Hebrew  prophecy 

^  See  DeHtzsch,  Messianic  Prophecies,  p.  17,  Edinburgh  1880, 
who  aptly  cites  Chrysostom  Horn.  xxix.  i?i  ep.  ad  corinthios:  "This 
is  the  peculiarity  of  the  mantis  ;  to  be  beside  oneself,  to  suffer 
constraint,  to  be  struck,  to  be  stretched,  to  be  dragged  like  a  mad- 
man. The  prophet,  however,  is  not  so,  but  he  speaks  everything 
with  calm  understanding  and  with  sound  self-possession,  and  know- 
ing what  he  proclaims,  so  that  before  the  result  we  can  even  from 
these  things  distinguish  between  the  mantis  and  the  proi)het." 


18  MESSIANIC  PKOPHECY. 

to  scientific  statement  and  invincible  position.^  This  will 
be  manifest  both  in  the  differences  in  form  and  the 
differences  in  content,  and  above  all  in  the  entire  con- 
formity to  truth  and  fact,  in  such  sublime  heights  of 
conception  and  such  vast  reaches  of  comprehension,  that 
it  transcends  the  powers  of  hmnan  origination  and  guid- 
ance, and  compels  resort  to  the  divine  mind  and  the 
divine  power  to  explain  its  origin  and  its  development 
into  such  a  sublime  organism. 

V.    THE  DISTINGUISHING  FEATUEES  OF  HEBEEW  PEOPHECY. 

§  9.  The  prophet  of  Jahvch  is  personally  called  and 
endoiued  hy  Jahveh  with  the  prophetic  spirit.  He  speaks 
in  the  name  of  Jahveh  and  in  his  name  alone.  He  is  one 
of  a  series  of  prophets  who  guide  in  ths  develo2Jment  of  the 
Heh'ew  religion.  He  a.hsorhs  and  reproduces  previous 
^prophecy.  He  transmits  prophecy  with  confidence  to  his 
successors.     Hehrcw  prophecy  is  an  organism  of  redemption. 

We  have  seen  that  Hebrew  prophecy  has  the  same 
three  phases  that  are  found  in  all  great  religions,  but  that 
it  cannot  be  explained  by  theories  which  build  on  any  of 
these  phases.  It  claims  to  be  a  divine  revelation,  resting 
upon  higher  and  more  substantial  grounds  than  these. 
Indeed  we  not  only  have  to  distinguish  between  Hebrew 
prophecy  and  aU  other  prophecy ;  but  in  Hebrew  prophecy 
itself  it  is  necessary  to  eliminate  the  genuine  from  the 
spurious :  for  there  are  those  who  speak  in  the  name  of 
Jahveh  and  are  prophets  of  lies.^  There  are  those  who 
mistake  their  conceits  and  fancies  for  divine  communica- 

1  Miiller,  Science  of  Religion,  p.  37,  1873,  "I  make  no  secret  that 
true  Christianity,  I  mean  the  rehgion  of  Christ,  seems  to  me  to 
become  more  and  more  exalted  the  more  we  know  and  the  more  we 
appreciate  the  treasures  of  truth  hidden  in  the  despised  religions  of 
the  world." 

2  Jer.  xxiii. 


I 


HEBREW  PROPHECY.  19 

tions.  There  are  those  who  are  deceived  by  lying  spirits/ 
There  are  professional  prophets  in  Israel  who  prophesy 
for  gain  and  for  political  influence.  The  faithful  prophet 
of  Jahveh  has  to  contend  against  these  false  prophets  of 
Jahveh  as  well  as  against  the  prophets  of  Baal.  He  does 
it  through  the  divine  assurance  that  he  is  in  possession 
of  the  truth  of  God,  and  that  he  is  called  to  proclaim  it. 
For  the  true  prophet  of  Jahveh  differs  from  other 
prophets  not  in  those  phases  of  human  experience  and 
expression  which  are  essential  to  prophecy  and  common 
to  mankind,  but  as  the  Hebrew  religion  differs  from  all 
other  religions.  For  an  extraordinary  divine  influence 
which  is  called  supernatural,  to  distinguish  it  from  the 
ordinary  influences  of  the  divine  Providence  which  are 
called  natural,  used  the  psychological  and  physical  con- 
ditions of  human  nature  to  determine  through  them  that 
religion  and  so  that  prophecy  in  its  origin  and  through 
its  organic  development  towards  the  accomphshment  of  a 
divine  plan  of  redemption.^ 

Without  denying  to  other  religions  an  occasional  divine 
influence  in  their  prophecy,  springing  from  the  ordinary 
working  of  the  divine  Providence  in  the  affairs  of  man- 
kind, without  excluding  altogether  the  prophecy  of  the 
great  religions  of  the  earth  from  occasional  extraordinary 
divine  influences  such  as  are  called  supernatural,  we 
claim  that  these  extraordinary  divine  influences  give 
Hebrew  prophecy  its  characteristic  features ;  for  we  find 
them  extending  through  a  long  period  of  historical 
development,  increasing  in  intensity,  complexity  and 
comprehensiveness  as  they  accumulate  upon  one  another, 
combining  so  as  to  constitute  Hebrew  prophecy  an 
organic  whole,  a  sublime  ideal  of  redemption. 

1  2  Chron.  xviii. 

2  Simon,  The  Bible  an  Outgrowth  of  Theocratic  Life^  chap.  viii. 
Edin.  1886. 


20  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

VI.    THE  PEOPHETIC  CALL  AND  ENDOWMENT. 

§  10.  Hebrcio  jpro];)hecy  originates  in  a  personal  revela- 
tion of  God  to  man  in  tlieophany.  It  is  comnmmicated  to 
successive  prophets  hy  the  influence  of  the  Spirit  of  God. 
The  divine  Sjnrit  assures  the  prophet  of  his  possession  of 
the  truth  of  God  and  of  his  commission  to  declare  it ; 
endows  him  vjith  the  gifts  and  spiritual  energy  to  proclaim 
it  without  fear  or  favour,  and  despite  every  obstacle ;  guides 
him  in  the  fomii  of  its  delivery,  and  directs  him  to  give  it 
its  appropriate  place  in  the  prophetic  system. 

The  Hebrew  religion  is  a  religion  of  union  and  com- 
munion with  God,  a  living,  growing,  everlasting  religion. 
The  Hebrew  prophets  present  us  with  an  immortal 
religion.  They  derive  it  by  direct  communication  with 
the  ever-living  God.  It  is  the  theophanic  manifestation 
of  God  in  forms  of  time  and  space  and  the  sphere  of 
physical  nature,  to  call  and  endow  the  master  spirits  of 
Hebrew  prophecy,  that  constitute  one  of  its  most  dis- 
tinctive features.  Hebrew  prophecy  as  Hebrew  miracle- 
working  springs  from  theophanies.  These  were  the 
sources  of  every  new  advance.  They  constitute  a  series 
leading  on  to  the  incarnation  as  their  culmination.  They 
were  the  di\Tne  seals  to  the  roll  of  Hebrew  prophecy, 
sealing  every  new  page  with  an  objective  divine  verifica- 
tion and  authentication.  They  bind  the  prophets  into 
an  organic  whole.  They  come  in  the  great  crisis  of  the 
development  of  prophecy,  and  shed  their  glorious  light 
over  the  prophecies  that  precede  and  those  that  follow. 
We  have  not  only  therefore  the  calling  and  endowment 
of  particular  prophets  by  these  theophanies,  but  the 
calling  and  the  endowment  of  prophetic  chiefs  to  originate 
and  perpetuate  a  succession  of  prophets  with  an  organic 
system  of  prophecy.'^ 

^  "  The  case  admits   of  no  doubt — the   canonical   prophets  are 
mutually  allied  and  are  closely  connected  with  one  another.     The 


HEBREW  PEOPHECY.  21 

We  do  not  find  these  theophanies  in  connection  with 
every  prophet,  but  only  with  the  greatest  prophets,  the 
reformers  of  their  age.  It  is  possible  that  other  prophets 
were  also  called  by  theophanies  which  they  have  not 
described  to  us.  But  this  is  improbable.  It  was  indeed 
unnecessary.  Theophanies  are  to  initiate  religious  move- 
ments and  mark  the  stages  of  their  development,  but  are 
not  the  constant  feature  of  prophecy.  Ordinarily  Hebrew 
prophecy  comes  from  prophets  who  have  the  internal 
subjective  assurance  of  the  truth  of  God  and  their  com- 
mission to  declare  it.  But  in  all  cases  of  objective  as 
well  as  subjective  assurance  the  prophet's  powers  are 
taxed  to  the  utmost  to  give  expression,  in  the  human 
forms  of  his  own  nature  and  surroundings,  to  the  divine 
ideas  that  have  taken  possession  of  him. 

In  order  to  explain  this  internal  communication  we 
would  refer  to  the  witness  of  the  Holy  Spirit  giving  the 
Christian  assurance  of  salvation,  the  assurance  of  sonship 
to  God,  and  the  gratification  of  knowing  that  prayer  is 
accepted  and  answered.  This  testimony  of  the  Spirit  is 
a  divine  assurance  imparted  by  a  supernatural  energy  to 
the  believer's  soul.^ 

The  difference  in  the  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in 
these  cases  is  not  in  mode.  The  divine  energy  is  the 
same — the  Spirit  of  God.  The  subjects  of  the  influence 
are  the  same  —  pious  men.  The  same  supernatural 
impartation  of  the  divine  Spirit  to  •  the  human  spirit  is 
made  in  all  these  cases.     The  difference  consists  in  the 

one  may  stand  more  by  himself,  the  other  may  be  more  dependent 
upon  his  predecessors ;  collectively  they  all  form,  as  it  were,  one 
school,  or  they  may  be  likened  to  the  links  of  one  chain." — Kuenen, 
Prophets^  p.  74. 

1  See  Oehler,  Theology  of  the  Old  Test.  ii.  p.  336  seq.,  Edin. 
1883,  and  Eiehm  in  I.e.  p.  35  seq.  The  polemic  of  Konig  (in  I.e. 
ii.  p.  194  seq.)  against  this  position  seems  to  us  without  force. 
See  also  Ladd,  Doctrine  of  Sacred  Scripture.,  ii.  p,  369  seq.,  and 
Presbyterian  Review.,  v.  p.  384. 


22  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

contents  of  this  influence — and  in  the  measure  of  the 
energy.  The  contents  in  the  other  cases  mentioned  are : 
sense  of  sonship,  of  the  love  and  favour  of  a  heavenly 
Father,  of  communion  with  Him,  of  conformity  to  His  will, 
of  recei\"ing  the  benefits  desired  in  prayer.  The  contents 
of  the  influence  that  inspires  the  prophet  are :  the 
revelation  of  truth  in  its  relation  to  the  particular 
prophet  and  in  its  relation  to  the  organism  of  prophecy, 
and  the  obligation  to  declare  that  truth  in  the  form  in 
which  it  is  conveyed,  and  to  give  it  its  place  in  the 
prophetic  system. 

There  is  also  a  difference  in  the  extent  and  degree  of 
the  energy,  for  the  prophet  is  empowered  to  deliver  the 
truth  of  God  without  fear  or  favour  despite  obstacles  and 
resistance  of  every  kind.  The  intensity  of  this  energy 
differs  greatly  in  different  prophets.  In  Moses  and 
Elijah,  in  Isaiah,  Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel,  the  heroes  of 
prophecy,  who  were  called  in  theophanies,  it  was  so 
intense  as  to  enable  them  to  stand  alone  with  God  against 
their  own  nation  and  the  world,  and  to  overcome  by  its 
divine  energy  all  opposing  forces  and  circumstances. 
And  yet  never  was  the  individuality  of  these  heroes  of 
prophecy  so  marked,  never  their  humanity  more  apparent, 
never  the  peculiar  features  of  their  own  character  so 
distinct,  as  in  those  great  crises  when  the  fires  of  God 
within  them  were  burning  with  the  most  intense  light 
and  heat.  The  divine  imparted  its  energy  to  the  human 
and  merged  its  objectivity  in  the  subjectivity  of  the 
prophet,  in  this  infallible  assurance  of  having  and  holding 
and  declaring  the  in\'incible  truth  of  God. 


VII.    THE  TEST  OF  PROPHECY. 

§  11.   The  infallible   test    of  iJie    genuine   prophecy    of 
Jahveh  is  its  entire  conformity  to  truth  and  fact. 


HEBREW  PROPHECY.  23 

The  infallible  assurance  of  the  soul  of  the  prophet 
may  be  difficult  to  distinguish  from  the  false  assurance  of 
enthusiasts  and  the  confident  self-assertion  of  prophets  of 
lies,  and  yet  here  is  the  place  where  the  distinction  must 
be  made. 

The  possibility,  yes,  the  probability  of  mistakes  is 
recognized  in  the  Scriptures  and  provided  for  in  the 
warning  of  Moses. 

"  For  these  nations,  which  thou  art  about  to  dispossess,  are  accus- 
tomed to  hearken  unto  sorcerers  and  unto  diviners  ;  but  as  for  thee, 
Jahveh  thy  God  hath  not  suffered  thee  so  to  do.  A  prophet  from 
thy  midst,  of  thy  brethren,  like  me,  will  Jahveh  thy  God  raise  up  unto 
thee  ;  unto  him  shall  ye  hearken  ;  according  to  all  that  thou  didst 
ask  from  Jahveh  thy  God  in  Horeb,  in  the  day  of  the  assembly, 
saying,  '  I  cannot  again  hear  the  voice  of  Jahveh  my  God,  and  this 
great  fire  I  cannot  see  any  more,  lest  I  die.'  And  Jahveh  said  unto 
me,  '  They  have  done  well  in  what  they  have  spoken.  A  jjrophet 
will  I  raise  up  for  them  from  the  midst  of  their  brethren,  like  thee, 
and  will  give  my  words  in  his  mouth,  and  he  will  speak  unto  them 
all  that  I  charge  him.  And  it  will  come  to  pass,  that  whosoever 
will  not  hearken  unto  my  words  which  he  will  speak  in  my  name,  I 
will  require  it  of  him.  Only  the  prophet  who  shall  presume  to  speak 
a  thing  in  my  name,  which  I  have  not  charged  him  to  speak,  and 
who  shall  speak  in  the  name  of  other  gods,  that  prophet  shall  die. 
And  if  thou  say  in  thy  heart.  How  can  we  know  the  thing  which 
Jahveh  hath  not  spoken  1  What  the  prophet  speaketh  in  the  name 
of  Jahveh,  and  the  thing  transpire  not  and  come  not,  that  is  the  thing 
which  Jahveh  hath  not  spoken.  In  presumption  the  prophet  hath 
spoken.     Thou  shalt  not  be  afraid  of  him.' "  ^ 

Here  then  is  a  divine  test  of  prophecy  given  at  the 
very  foundation  of  the  Hebrew  system.  Not  the  signs 
and  wonders  and  external  forms  of  prophecy  are  to  be 
the  test,  for  as  Jesus  said,  "  There  will  arise  false 
Messiahs  and  false  prophets,  and  will  show  great  signs 
and  wonders :  insomuch  that  if  possible  they  will 
deceive  the  very  elect,"  ^  but  the  internal  character,  the 
1  Deut.  xviii.  14-22.  ^  Matt.  xxiv.  24. 


24  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

essence  of  the  prophecy,  whether  it  be  in  the  name  of 
Jahveh,  whether  it  be  true  and  real,  whether  it  be  to  the 
honour  of  God,  whether  it  conform  with  the  prophetic 
system.  This  is  the  absolute  test  to  which  every  Hebrew 
prophet  submits,  and  which  every  pious  man  is  bound  to 
apply.  This  test  of  divine  truth  gives  a  mutual  obliga- 
tion. It  gives  a  divine  sanction  to  the  prophet  himself 
to  declare  the  truth  of  God,  and  it  also  gives  the  most 
sacred  obligation  to  the  people  to  yield  obedience  to  the 
word  of  trutL 

Any  such  slavish  adhesion  to  a  priori  claims  as 
the  scholastic  theory  requires  is  unscriptural  and  it  is 
immoral.  It  is  the  sign  -  seeking  condemned  by  our 
Saviour  as  so  characteristic  of  the  Pharisees  of  his  time. 
Every  divine  revelation  demands  the  most  searching 
criticism  and  inquiry  as  to  its  truth.  The  more  earnest 
and  searching  the  inquiry,  the  more  complete  will 
be  the  mastery  that  the  divine  truth  will  gain  over 
the  soul,  and  the  more  sincere  and  faithful  wiU  be  the 
adhesion  to  it. 


VIII.    THE  DEVELOPI^IENT  OF  PEOPHECY. 

§  12.  Proiolucy  first  ai^jgcars  as  an  occasional  function 
of  the  antediluvians  and  'patriarchs.  Moses  was  the  first 
ofiicial  prophet,  and  the  model  of  all  that  followed.  Samuel 
was  the  first  to  make  it  a  distinct  office  and  to  found 
propheticcd  schools.  The  prophets  are  the  counsellors  of  the 
monarcJis  and  the  reformers  of  the  nation,  and  as  such 
reach  a  sublime  height  in  Nathan,  Elijah  and  Elisha, 
They  instruct  the  nation  in  its  history  and  its  covenants,  its 
institutions  and  its  worship,  and  give  birth  to  schools  of 
p)salmody  and  ivisdom.  Prophecy  attains  its  height  in  a 
se7'ies  of  prophets  who  deliver  oral  prophecies  as  the  divinely 
appointed  oiational  reformers,  and  subsequently  record  their 


HEBREW  PROPHECY.  25 

prophecies  as  the  several  successive  sections  of  an  organic 
system  of  divine  revelation  to  manJdnd. 

Prophecy  was  first  developed  into  an  office  in  Moses, 
who  became  the  model  of  all  subsequent  Hebrew 
prophets.  Prior  to  Moses  the  prophetic  function  is  dis- 
played at  times  in  Enoch  and  Noah,  in  Abraham  and 
Jacob,  but  it  is  sporadic,  Moses  predicts  a  prophet  like 
himself  over  against  the  sorcerers  and  diviners  of  the 
Canaanites,  but  knows  nothing  of  an  order  or  succession 
of  prophets.  Prophecy  remains  sporadic  until  Samuel, 
who  is  called  to  the  office  of  prophet,  and  who  like  Moses 
at  first  combines  the  prophetic  and  regal  functions,  but 
after  the  resignation  of  his  civil  authority  establishes  the 
prophetic  office  apart  by  itself,  and  becomes  the  founder 
of  prophetical  schools.  With  Samuel  the  prophetic  office 
takes  its  place  as  an  independent  office  alongside  of  the 
royal  and  priestly  orders,  and  enters  upon  centuries  of 
development. 

The  prophets  at  first  appear  like  Samuel  with  some 
of  the  functions  of  the  judges.  They  suddenly  appear  at 
the  court  of  the  king  or  before  a  national  assembly. 
They  execute  their  commission  of  exhortation,  promise  or 
warning,  and  disappear.  Their  religious  instruction  has 
a  political  cast.  The  schools  of  the  prophets  are  frequently 
mentioned  in  the  historical  books  at  various  places  and  in 
considerable  numbers.  They  seem  to  have  been  engaged 
in  the  study  of  the  instruction  of  Jahveh  and  in  His 
worship  with  songs  and  dances.  To  them  we  may  attri- 
bute the  earlier  historical  poems  and  poetic  narratives 
embedded  in  the  historical  books.  They  were  being  pre- 
pared through  many  generations  from  Samuel  to  Joash 
for  the  peculiar  work  the  prophetic  order  was  ordained  to 
do.  They  gave  birth  to  the  schools  of  psalmody  and  the 
schools  of  wisdom,  and  prepared  the  way  for  the  greatest 
prophets.    They  combined  the  history  and  the  poetry,  the 


26  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

laws  and  the  wisdom,  to  reproduce  them  at  the  appointed 
time  in  higher  and  grander  forms. 

After  the  division  of  the  kingdom  it  was  in  the 
northern  reahn  that  the  prophetic  activity  had  the  fullest 
development.  This  was  in  order  to  lead  Israel  through 
the  severe  crises  in  her  history.  And  thus  the  prophetic 
order  rises  rapidly  to  a  sublime  elevation  and  grandeur 
in  Elijah  and  Elisha  as  they  appear  endowed  with 
miraculous  power,  and  boldly  confront  kings  and  princes 
as  if  they  would  single-handed  turn  the  heart  of  princes 
and  bend  the  nation  to  the  will  of  Jahveh. 

But  these  functions  of  the  prophetic  office,  making 
history  as  great  religious  heroes,  and  recording  the  history 
of  redemption  with  its  covenants  and  institutions,  were 
preparatory  to  the  highest  function  of  giving  the  divine 
revelation  in  historical  development  and  in  a  living, 
growing  and  ever  consolidating  organism.  Combining 
the  sum-total  of  the  divine  revelation  of  the  patriarchs 
and  judges,  and  especially  of  Abraham  and  Moses  and  of 
Samuel,  they  rolled  it  along  with  immense  and  ever 
increasing  weight,  power  and  sublimity,  hasting  on  to  the 
latter  days.  The  prophets  as  an  order  of  preachers  and 
teachers  constitute  a  grand  stairway,  advancing  prophet 
after  prophet  in  linked  succession  until  the  organism  of 
prophecy  is  completed  and  the  revelation  of  the  Messiah 
is  at  hand. 

As  the  prophetic  office  was  rising  to  its  highest  functions, 
it  developed  into  four  schools  or  tendencies,  three  of 
which,  the  school  of  psalmody,  the  school  of  wisdom,  and 
the  school  of  the  ritual,  moved  in  the  ordinary  planes  of 
prophecy,  while  the  proplictic  function  of  the  schools  of 
the  prophets  moving  in  narrower  lines  rose  to  its  tower- 
ing heights  of  guiding  the  nation  through  the  perplexities 
of  the  present,  towards  a  realization  of  the  grander  ideals 
of    the  future.     The  whole  Old  Testament  is  prophecy 


HEBREW  PROPHECY.  27 

in  the  broader  sense  of  the  term,  and  yet  when  we 
distinguish  the  law  from  prophecy  we  are  halting  on  the 
threshold  of  a  still  more  thorough  discrimination  which 
eliminates  from  prophecy  in  general,  the  Law  and  the 
Wisdom  and  the  Psalter,  in  order  to  rise  at  once  to  a 
conception  of  prophecy  which  is  at  the  same  time  narrower 
and  higher.  For  the  Hebrew  prophets  grasp  the  great 
essential  principles  of  the  Hebrew  religion.  They  trace 
them  in  their  most  characteristic  features  in  historical 
development.  They  apprehend  the  exact  issues  of  their 
own  times.  They  realize  the  eternal  ideals  of  the 
prophetic  system.  They  raise  these  on  the  banners  of 
reform.  The  Hebrew  prophets  are  thus  essentially  a 
series  of  reformers.  Their  office  is  to  hold  up  the  ideal 
of  reform  and  urge  to  its  realization.  They  are  the  true 
successors  of  Moses — they  lead  on  to  Christ.  They 
marshal  the  religious  forces  of  Israel,  and  from  age 
to  age  advance  the  lines  of  the  faithful  in  closer  con- 
formity to  the  divine  ideal,  which  lies  at  the  basis  of  the 
Hebrew  religion,  and  which  dominates  its  history.  This, 
then,  is  the  great  feature  of  Hebrew  prophecy,  its  grand 
march  forward  in  spite  of  every  obstacle  from  triumph  to 
triumph.  The  author  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  ^ 
begins  the  roll-call  of  the  heroes,  but  stops  almost  at  the 
beginning  for  want  of  time  and  space  to  complete  them. 
No  such  names  are  to  be  found  in  the  history  of  any 
other  nation, — or  in  the  history  of  all  the  other  religions 
combined, — heroes  of  battles  the  most  sublime  the  world 
has  ever  seen ;  battles  not  for  the  rehgion  of  Israel  alone, 
but  for  the  religious  progress  of  humanity,  for  the  ever- 
lasting religion  of  mankind. 

1  Heb.  xi. 


28  MESSIiVNIC  PEOPHECY. 


IX.    THE  PPvOPHETIC  IDEAL. 


§  13.  Hchrevj  jjro'ijliccy  comhines  in  a  remarkable, 
manner  the  real  and  tJie  ideal.  If  the  real  is  in  exact  con- 
formity to  truth,  still  more  is  the  ideal  a  mirror  of  the  divine 
mind.  The  ideal  of  Hebrew  'prophecy  is  the  regulative 
factor  of  the  entire  Old  Covenant  revelation.  It  is  at  once 
the  goal  and  the  impulse  of  the  entire  historical  develop- 
ment. It  comprehends  the  essential  principles  of  religion^ 
doctrine  and  morals.  It  comhines  the  circumstantial  and 
the  variahle  with  the  essential  and  invariable  to  be  ulti- 
mately attained  by  all.  Above  all,  it  is  an  ideal  of  the 
complete  redemp)tion  of  mankind. 

In  the  marvellous  progress  of  Hebrew  prophecy  the 
most  significant  factor  is  the  combination  of  the  real  and 
the  ideal.  In  the  midst  of  the  circumstantial  and  the 
variable,  adapted  to  particular  persons  and  occasions,  the 
determining  influence  is  ever  the  essential  ideal  which 
abides,  amidst  all  the  vast  variety  and  intricate  complexity 
of  detail,  the  permanent,  the  everlasting  and  the  ultimate 
— not  a  stereotyped  ideal  in  forms  to  which  everything 
must  be  conformed,  but  a  living  ideal  adapting  itself 
with  ease  and  grace  to  every  circumstance  and  every 
occasion  and  every  person,  and  yet  so  exalted  above  the 
temporal  and  the  local  and  the  purely  formal,  that  these 
are  incapable  of  limiting  its  growth  or  checking  its  pro- 
gress. It  is  indeed  a  living,  an  eternal,  an  absolute,  an 
infinite  ideal — what  else  can  it  be  than  the  product  of 
the  di\T[ne  mind  ? 

This  ideal  is  readily  discernible  throughout  Hebrew 
prophecy.  We  see  it  not  only  in  the  ten  commandments, 
the  quintessence  of  Mosaism,  but  it  pervades  the  entire 
legislation  and  all  tlie  codes,  as  the  regulative  element 
giving  shape  and  organization  to  the  whole.  It  is  this 
ideal  that  makes  the  Psalter  the  psalm  book  of  the  uni- 


HEBEEW  PROPHECY.  29 

versal  Church,  that  gives  the  Wisdom  literature  its 
ethical  influence  upon  all  times  and  lands,  that  makes 
Hebrew  history  the  mirror  of  humanity,  that  constitutes 
the  Hebrew  prophets  the  teachers  of  the  world.  Call 
this  ideal  what  we  please,  supernatural  or  natural,  it 
matters  not.  It  is  higher  and  grander  than  any  other 
natural  known  to  man ;  it  is  so  much  higher  and  grander 
that  it  separates  Hebrew  prophecy  from  all  other  pro- 
phecy. It  gives  it  a  unique  position  and  importance. 
It  is  an  ideal  ever  realizing  itself,  and  yet  as  high  above 
reality  as  ever.  If  it  be  not  divine  in  origin  and  direc- 
tion, whence  did  it  originate  ?  It  lifts  us  to  the  higher 
powers — it  has  the  attributes  of  the  Infinite  One.  It  is 
divine  revelation. 

If  we  look  at  the  doctrines  of  the  Hebrew  prophets 
and  compare  them  with  the  doctrines  of  other  prophets, 
the  divine  features  of  these  doctrines  are  manifest.  Thus 
the  doctrine  of  the  unity  and  personality  of  God,  as  the 
God  of  creation  and  of  redemption,  was  gTandly  conceived 
and  stated  in  uniform  and  ever  advancing  clearness  and 
consistency  by  the  Hebrew  prophets  alone.  Compare 
with  this  idea  of  God,  the  Polytheism,  Pantheism,  and 
Deism  of  other  religions,  and  we  are  forced  to  the  inquiry, 
whence  could  this  idea  have  come  save  from  God  Himself  ? 
We  do  not  claim  that  such  an  idea  could  not  be  evolved 
by  the  human  mind.  But,  in  fact,  such  an  idea  has  not 
been  evolved  in  any  other  religion.  Such  an  idea  is  not 
readily  accepted  by  those  who  are  not  in  sympathy  with 
the  Christian  religion.  The  human  mind  drifts  to  Pan- 
theism or  Deism  rather  than  to  the  Biblical  doctrine  of 
God.  It  seems  impossible  truly  to  apprehend  the  Biblical 
doctrine  of  God  save  by  personal  union  with  God  through 
the  grace  which  the  Bible  itself  offers.  The  union  of  the 
finite  with  the  infinite  can  be  effected  only  by  the  Infinite; 
the  personal  knowledge  of  the  Infinite  can  be  afforded 


30  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECT. 

only  by  the  advent  of  the  Infinite  Himself.  The  human 
soul  is  capable  of  tliis  divine  knowledge,  and  Hebrew 
prophecy  gives  the  divine  knowledge  that  satisfies  the 
soul.  This  is  an  evidence  that  that  prophecy  has  a 
divine  source. 

The  Hebrew  doctrine  of  man  is  no  less  divine.  The 
unity  of  the  race  is  a  unique  conception  of  the  Bible.  It 
is  above  the  prejudices  of  the  other  religions  against 
other  races.  The  Hebrew  prophets  were  Hebrew  patriots, 
but  their  prophecies  grasped  humanity  and  embraced  the 
world.  This  original  unity  of  mankind  lost  by  sin  is  to 
be  restored  by  grace,  and  the  Hebrew  doctrine  of  the 
ideal  man — holy  and  perfect  as  God  is  holy  and  perfect — 
is  so  grand  and  inspiring  that  the  philosophy  and  theology 
of  our  times  has  as  yet  failed  to  apprehend  it.  "Wliere 
do  we  find  such  an  intense  and  realistic  conception  of 
sin  ?  How  dark  and  dread  the  representation,  and  yet 
how  true  to  fact  and  human  consciousness  !  The  Hebrew 
prophets  were  faithful  men — they  saw  human  sin  through 
divine  eyes,  and  they  portrayed  it  in  its  guilty  colours. 
The  natural  man  was  incapable  of  such  true  and  noble 
anthropology  without  divine  instruction. 

But  prophetic  theology  culminates  in  its  doctrine  of 
redemption.  This  is  the  golden  thread  of  Hebrew  history 
and  of  the  Hebrew  religion.  The  union  of  God  and  man 
by  redemption,  that  is  the  noble  ideal  that  inspires 
Hebrew  prophecy  throughout :  steadily  and  unfalteringly 
the  prophets  lead  the  nation  to  the  apprehension  and 
realization  of  that  ideal.  It  has  none  of  that  miserable 
pessimism  that  characterizes  so  many  of  the  lower 
religions  and  even  the  lower  philosophies  of  our  day. 
It  has  none  of  that  spurious  optimism  which  the  human 
reason  yearns  for  and  pantheistic  systems  present.  It 
represents  the  good  and  the  evil  in  everlasting  conflict ; 
but  this  conflict  is  a  conflict  which  is  a  development  of 


HEBKEW^.  PROPHECY.  3 1 

redemption  into  higher  stages  and  grander  achievements. 
The  doctrine  of  redemption  given  by  the  Hebrew  prophets 
is  a  divine  idea,  and  cannot  be  explained  as  an  evolution 
of  human  hopes  and  fears  and  aspirations. 

The  theology  of  the  Hebrew  prophets  throughout  is 
such  a  wondrous  combination  of  reality  and  truth,  of  the 
temporal  and  the  eternal,  the  actual  and  the  ideal,  that 
it  evinces  the  conception  of  a  mind  that  grasps  the  ages 
in  faithful  and  vivid  realization,  and  that  has  the  power 
of  representing  that  conception  in  terms  that  stand  the 
test  of  time  and  circumstance.  The  doctrines  of  the 
Hebrew  prophets  transcend  the  powers  of  human  appre- 
hension and  conception,  and  like  the  sublime  ideas  of  the 
reason — form  and  time  and  space — circumscribe  human 
knowledge,  and  invoke  the  Deity  to  explain  them  as 
conceptions  of  the  divine  mind. 

In  the  sphere  of  doctrine  the  ideal  is  most  easily 
detected  and  presented.  It  is  in  the  sphere  of  religion 
and  of  morals  that  Hebrew  prophecy  is  ordinarily  attacked. 
But  it  is  just  in  these  departments  where  the  necessity 
of  adaptation  to  time  and  place  and  circumstance  is 
most  apparent.  No  prophecy  could  be  true  prophecy 
that  would  not  meet  the  practical  issues  of  life.  Hebrew 
prophecy  in  its  historic  development  adapts  itself  to  the 
needs  of  the  day  and  the  person  and  the  affair.  Hence 
we  must  eliminate  the  circumstantial  and  the  variable 
from  the  essential  and  the  permament  in  these  depart- 
ments. But  it  is  this  very  power  of  adaptation  that 
proves  the  original  vitality  and  wondrous  efficacy  of  the 
Hebrew  religion  and  the  prophetic  ethics.  We  are  not 
dismayed  at  the  lowest  stages  of  religion  when  we  see  it 
advancing  through  the  centuries  to  higher  and  higher  stages 
towards  the  realization  of  a  perfect  ideal.  We  are  not 
surprised  at  a  low  grade  of  morals  tolerated  in  a  rude 
and  untutored   people,  when   we   see   that  grade  rising 


32  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

higher  and  higher  in  the  divine  discipline  of  a  nation. 
The  imperfection  and  the  grossness  of  the  earlier  Hebrew 
religion,  and  the  morals  of  the  earlier  stages  of  Hebrew 
prophecy,  are  patent  to  all,  but  these  do  not  disprove  the 
divinity  of  the  grand  religious  and  ethical  ideals  of 
I)rophecy.  There  is  this  strife  between  the  divine  ideal 
and  the  historical  reality  which  makes  the  history  of 
Israel  seem  like  a  series  of  apostasies,  and  which  has  so 
coloured  the  stream  with  sin  and  e\il  that  theologians 
have  been  too  often  forgetful  that  it  is  in  fact  a  stream 
ever  flowing  onward.  The  divine  ideals  are  indeed  ever 
constraining  the  people  of  Israel  to  conformity  with 
them ;  and  the  prophets  are  the  standard-bearers  in  this 
religious  and  ethical  progress  of  the  nation.  These  ideal 
elements  are  essential  to  the  system  of  Hebrew  prophecy, 
they  are  in  religion  and  in  morals  the  constitutive  parts 
— they  are  the  primitive,  the  permanent,  the  advancing, 
yes,  the  ultimate  and  eternal  elements.  They  are  abso- 
lutely true  and  everlastingly  real.  They  cannot  be 
expjlained  save  by  a  conjunction  of  di\dne  forces  with 
human  agencies.  They  involve  a  union  of  God  and  man 
in  the  prophetic  heroes  of  redemption. 

These  phenomena,  these  essential  features  of  the 
Hebrew  prophecy,  imply  an  extraordinary  divine  influ- 
ence, continued  from  age  to  age,  giving  unity  to  the 
prophecy  of  a  great  number  of  different  prophets. 
Hebrew  prophecy  presents  us  a  system  of  instruction 
which  cannot  be  explained  from  the  reflections  of  the 
human  mind.  It  gives  us  a  view  of  redemption  as  the 
final  goal  of  the  world's  history,  which  is  heaven-born, 
and  not  a  human  invention.  It  accomplishes  a  work  in 
advancing  the  redemption  that  overcomes  all  human 
resistance  as  by  a  divine  force.  Its  holy  character — its 
spotless  purity — its  absolute  truth — its  implicit  confidence 
in   the  ultimate   accomplishment  of  the  most  beautiful. 


HEBREW  PROPHECY.  33 

elevating  and  sublime  hopes — all  combine  in  showing 
that  one  supreme,  superhuman  energy  inspired  it  all. 

Demanding  the  most  searching  criticism  from  the  start, 
it  has  endured  that  criticism  in  all  ages — such  a  criti- 
cism as  no  other  prophecy  has  been  able  to  endure — such 
as  has,  in  fact,  beaten  into  ruins  all  other  prophecy.  A 
still  more  searching  criticism  it  is  passing  through  to- 
day, that  abiding  the  test,  its  truth  and  reality  may 
conquer  and  sway  mankind. 

The  Hebrew  prophets  therefore  were  prophets  not 
merely  in  the  sense  of  the  oracles  and  sibyls  and  prophets 
of  other  religions,  but  in  that  holy  men  of  God  spake  as 
they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Spirit  of  Jahveh. 


CHAPTER  n. 

PREDICTIVE  PROPHECY. 

§  14.  Prediction  is  a  common  feature  of  the  religions 
of  mankind,  hut  it  is  com'paratively  a  small  section  of 
Hebrew  ])rojfiiecy.  Hebrew  prediction  gains  its  vast 
significance  from  its  content,  the  central  nucleus  of  the 
2)rophetic  ideal,  the  comjMion  of  redem-ption  through  the 
Messiah. 

It  is  a  common  habit  so  to  identify  prophecy  with 
prediction  tliat  the  terms  to  many  minds  become  practi- 
cally identical.  But  prophecy  is  properly  far  more 
extensive.  Prediction  constitutes  but  one  feature  of 
genuine  prophecy,  and  that  not  the  common,  but  the 
extraordinary  feature.  It  is  only  one  section,  and  that 
the  smallest,  of  the  range  of  prophetic  instruction.  It 
is  a  weakness  rather  than  an  excellence  to  exalt  the 
predictive  element  as  such.  It  is  one  of  the  evil  fruits 
of  an  unwholesome  apologetic  that  has  been  transmitted 
to  us  from  the  previous  century,  when  there  was  a  greedy 
grasping  after  anything  and  everything  in.  the  form  of 
prediction  that  might  in  any  way  serve  to  exalt  the  super- 
natural character  of    the  Bible.^      Prediction   is   not  a 

1  "  We  can  liere  proceed  on  an  observation  which  has  akeady 
forced  itself  upon  us,  while  we  were  discussing  the  prophecies 
regarding  the  judgment  upon  Israel.  To  the  question,  '  fulfilled  or 
not  fulfilled,'  we  received  from  time  to  time  no  clear  or  unambiguous 
answer.  Nay,  what  is  of  greater  significance,  more  than  one  para- 
graph of  the  prophetical  writings,  which  yet  treats  of  the  future, 
scarcely  admits  of  being  regarded  as  prediction.     This  would  be 

34 


PREDICTIVE  PEOPHECY.  35 

peculiar  feature  of  Hebrew  prophecy.  It  is  found  in 
other  domains  than  religion,  and  occurs  in  all  religions. 
The  human  mind  is  endowed  with  certain  faculties  which 
may  be  trained  to  prediction.  A  statesman  who  under- 
stands the  constitutional  history  of  his  country,  and  is 
master  of  the  political  forces  at  work  in  the  present,  may 
be  able  to  predict  the  combinations  that  these  will 
assume,  and  their  issues  in  the  future.  A  theologian 
may  be  able  to  discern  the  coming  conflicts  in  the  Church 
and  predict  in  a  measure  the  results.  The  laws  that 
govern  human  action  are  as  exact  and  certain  in  their 
operation  as  the  laws  of  the  physical  universe.  It  only 
needs  a  knowledge  sufficiently  extensive,  an  insight  suffi- 
ciently profound,  a  foresight  sufficiently  clear,  to  predict 
the  future  of  an  individual,  a  family,  or  a  nation. 
There  is  moreover  among  men  an  anxiety  respecting 
the  future  which  is  so  widespread  as  to  be  natural. 
And  when  the  issue  of  present  events  and  present  action 
is  important,  it  is  natural,  and  it  is  common  to  seek  the 
counsel  of  the  higher  powers.  A  Christian  under  such 
circumstances  resorts  to  prayer.  A  heathen  under  the 
same  circumstances  resorts  to  prophets  of  various 
kinds. 

Prediction  as  a  phase  of  Hebrew  prophecy  can  only 
be  understood  from  the  general  conception  of  religious 
instruction.  Prediction  is  the  instruction  that  prophecy 
gives  as  it  looks  forth  from  the  present  into  the  future. 
Prediction  is    the    most   important    section   of    Hebrew 


wholly  inexplicable,  if  prediction  had  been  the  chief  object  of  the 
prophets.  On  the  other  hand,  such  a  phenomenon  is  in  the  highest 
degree  natural,  if  they  had  another  task,  a  different  aim.  But  such 
is  indeed  the  case.  Their  business  is  not  to  communicate  what 
shall  happen,  but  to  insist  upon  that  which  ought  to  happen.  The 
maintenance  of  the  Jahveh-worship  as  they  comprehended  it — • 
that  is  what  they  had  in  view  in  the  whole  course  of  their  activity." 
— Kuenen's  Prop7ie^5  and  Prophecy  in  Israel,  p.  344,  London  1877. 


36  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

prophecy,  simply  because  it  presents  the  essential 
ideal  of  the  completion  of  redemption  through  the 
Messiah. 

I.    THE  SOUECES  OF  PEEDICTION. 

§  15.  There  are  many  sources  of  'p'^^^dictioii  to  wliicli 
the  heathen  resort,  such  as,  necromancy,  magic^  divination, 
augury,  astrology,  'palruistry ,  the  use  of  Teraphim  ;  all  of 
which  are  forhidclen  in  the  Old  Testament  under  penalty 
of  death.  The  only  source  of  prediction  to  vjhich  the 
Hebrews  iccre  allowed  to  resort  was  the  sacred  lot,  whose 
decision  ivas  an  expression  of  the  will  of  Jahveh.  Jahveh 
was  the  sole  source  of  'prediction.  He  gave  it  and  ivithheld 
it  as  He  pileased. 

Heathen  prediction  is  almost  exclusively  of  a  lower 
grade  than  the  instruction  given  in  the  religious  systems 
of  the  world.  It  is  of  a  coarse,  sensuous  and  super- 
stitious type,  and  prediction  constitutes  a  much  greater 
proportion  of  heathen  prophecy  than  it  does  of  Hebrew 
prophecy. 

The  lowest  form  is  probably  necromancy.  This  was 
a  favourite  resort  of  the  relioiion  of  Baal — consulting^ 
the  dead  by  means  of '  necromancers  who  were  supposed 
to  hold  communications  with  them.  We  have  a  curious 
case  of  this  in  the  bringing  up  of  Samuel  for  Saul  by 
the  witch  of  Endor.^  Necromancy  is  supposed  to  have 
been  connected  with  some  form  of  ventriloquism,  and  to 
have  been  usually  associated  with  the  assuming  of  the 
ecstatic  state  throui^h  the  use  of  druc^s  and  stimulatinsj 
exercises.  These  necromancers  are  in  the  Old  Testament 
associated  with  wizards  ^  and  magicians  ^  who  used  magic 

^  Such  a  necromancer  is  called  an  31  x,  and  such  a  woman  is  called 
mistress  of  an  niX-     See  1  Sam.  xxviii. 

2  D^JVIV  ^  D^aiJ^DD. 


PREDICTIVE  PROPHECY.  37 

arts  of  various  kinds,  and  are  represented  ^  as  "  muttering 
and  chirping,"  using  strange  ejaculations  and  frenzied 
exhortation  and  warning. 

There  is  another  class  of  these  heathen  prophets  called 
diviners,^  who  seek  for  direction  in  the  future  by  the 
investigation  of  combinations  in  various  objects  of  nature. 
The  most  common  of  these  is  in  the  use  of  the  entrails 
of  animals  and  the  observation  of  the  flight  of  birds,  the 
rustling  of  leaves  or  the  movement  of  sacred  animals 
or  unusual  occurrences.  This  is  called  augury,  and 
was  extensively  practised  by  the  Greeks  and  Komans. 
Divining  by  observing  the  movements  of  liquids  in  a 
vessel  or  hydromantic  is.  referred  to  by  Joseph.^  There 
is  a  divining  by  shooting  arrows  and  noting  their  flight, 
as  in  the  case  of  the  king  of  Babylon.^  Teraphim,  little 
images  of  household  deities,  are  also  employed  for  this 
purpose.^  There  is  still  another  class  of  heathen 
prophets  called  astrologers,  who  seek  in  the  movements 
of  the  stars  and  the  appearances  of  the  heavenly  bodies 
and  the  phenomena  of  the  skies  guidance  for  the  affairs 
of  earth.  Then  there  is  the  most  inveterate  of  all  these 
forms  of  heathen  prophecy,  witchcraft  and  palmistry. 
Indeed  there  are  scarcely  any  phenomena  of  nature 
which  have  not  been  resorted  to  by  men  in  their  anxiety 
to  determine  the  future  of  themselves  or  others.^ 

It  is  characteristic  of  Biblical  prophecy  that  it  de- 
nounces all  these  forms  of  heathen  superstition.  It  puts 
them  under  the  ban,  and  regards  them  as  sins  against 
the  divine  majesty,  incurring  the  penalty  of  death.  The 
idea  at  the  bottom  of  all  this  heathen  prediction  is  that 
the  Deity  will  manifest  His  will  for  the  guidance  of  His 

1  Isa.  viii.  19.  ^  Qsj^Dp.  ^  Gen.  xliv.  5. 

*  Ezek.  xxi.  21-23.  *  Ezek.  xxi.  21  ;  Zech.  x.  2. 

«  Kiiper,  Das  FropheterUhum  das  Alien  Bundes^  p.  1  seq.,  Leipzig 
1870. 


38  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

worshippers.  The  custom  of  the  rehgion  determines  the 
methods  to  be  used. 

The  only  use  of  natural  objects  that  is  lawful  in 
Biblical  prophecy  is  the  casting  of  lots.  In  the  ancient 
times  of  Israel  we  have  a  number  of  examples  of  the 
use  of  the  sacred  lot.  It  detects  the  criminal  Achan  ^  and 
the  innocent  Jonathan.^  It  divides  the  Holy  Land 
among  the  tribes.^  It  determines  the  time  and  the 
circumstances  of  battles.  The  Urim  and  Thummim 
is  ordinarily  regarded  as  a  sacred  lot  to  be  cast  by 
the  priest ;  but  it  is  properly  a  sacred  stone  in  the 
sacred  bag^  of  the  high  priest,  which  assured  him  that 
he  would  have  the  divine  illumination  and  complete 
knowledge  necessary  to  enable  him  to  decide  on  the 
religious  questions  submitted  to  him.  It  is  the  priest 
who  is  thereby  guided  to  speak  the  predictive  and  decisive 
word.  To  this  Urim  and  Tlmmitiim  of  the  priest's  ephod, 
Saul  and  David  frequently  resort  for  guidance.^ 

Saul  is  represented  as  in  a  desperate  condition  when  he 
is  abandoned  by  God,  who  answers  him  "  neither  by  dream 
nor  by  Urim  nor  by  prophet."^  He  resorts  to  the  un- 
lawful necromancy  only  to  hear  the  bitter  tragedy  that 
awaited  his  rebellious  career.  The  prophet  Isaiah  rebukes 
Israel  for  resk)ring  to  the  necromancers  rather  than  to 
God: 

"  When  they  say  unto  you,  Seek  unto  the  necromancers  and  unto 

the  wizards ; — 
Ye  chirpers  and  niutterers,  sliould  not  a  people  seek  unto  their 

God? 
On  behalf  of  the  living  will  they  seek  unto  the  dead  for  instruction 

and  for  testimony  ? "  ^ 

1  Josh.  vii.  14  seq.  2  1  g^j^^  ^j^.^  43^ 

'  Josh,  xiv.-xix. 

*  D'^Onni   Dnixn   (Lev.  viii.    8).     These  are  abstract   intensive 
plurals,  meaning,  enlightenment,  and  completion  or  perfection. 
^  1  Sam.  XXX.  7  seq.  «  1  Sam.  xxviii.  6. 

^  Isa.    viii.    19.      We  disregard    the    Massoretic  accents  here, 


PREDICTIVE  PROPHECT.  39 


n.    DIVINE  SOURCE  OF  HEBREW  PREDICTION. 

§  16.  Hebrew  prediction  uses  the  several  phases  of 
Hebrew  prophecy.  It  is  distiiiguished  hy  its  contents  from 
all  other  prediction.  These  contents  are  of  such  a  character 
as  to  im'ply  divine  origination  and  direction.  They  are 
gathered  into  an  organism  that  presents  a  divine  ideal  of 
redemption  which  transcends  human  powers  of  construction. 

Hebrew  predictive  prophecy  rises  up  in  sublime  majesty 
above  every  form  of  divination,  and  uses  all  the  varied 
forms  of  prophecy,  especially  the  higher,  to  present  its 
instruction.  The  prediction  is  sometimes  given  in  dreams 
or  visions  in  the  ecstatic  state.  In  these  cases  the 
future  is  represented  in  dramatic  forms  in  the  imagina- 
tion and  fancy.  The  conditions  for  such  prediction  are  in 
the  constructive  power  of  the  imagination,  in  sleep  and 
the  ecstatic  state.  These  creatures  of  the  imagination 
are  ordinarily  occasioned  by  strong  recollections,  by  intense 
interest  in  particular  things,  by  great  anxiety  with 
reference  to  certain  events.  It  is  not  uncommon  for  the 
imagination  under  such  circumstances  to  leap  into  the 
future  experience  by  foreboding  or  ardent  anticipation. 
The  imagination  may  discern  the  issues  in  which  we  are 
interested  more  clearly  and  accurately  than  the  reasoning 
powers.  These  predictions,  not  uncommon  to  the  dream 
and  the  vision,  present  us  phenomena  kindred  with 
Biblical  prophecy.  They  present  us  the  psychological 
conditions  which  show  such  predictions  to  be  not  only 
possible   but   probable.      How   then   does    Biblical  pre- 

because  the  poetry  has  here  the  hexameter  movement  (see  chap, 
vii.  7).  D''£)V2VDn.  The  article  is  here  for  the  vocative  case,  as 
often  in  Hebrew.  The  absence  of  the  preposition  is  against  taking 
it  as  in  apposition  to  D''DV*T''"I  ^^'  Trwvh  is  ordinarily  taken  as 
exhortation  to  the  people.  ".To  the  law  and  to  the  testimony  ! " 
But  we  should  expect  in  this  case  the  preposition  pj?,  as  in  the 
previous  context. 


40  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

diction  differ  from  these  predictions  of  the  imagination  ? 
An  attentive  examination  of  the  phenomena  ought  to 
convince  any  scientific  observer  that  the  predictions  that 
occur  in  the  dreams  and  visions  of  Hebrew  prophecy- 
transcend  the  native  energies  of  the  imagination.  The 
imagination  can  only  reconstruct  the  material  given  to  it. 
The  predictions  of  Hebrew  prophecy  present  us  material 
as  well  as  combinations  of  material  that  must  have  had 
another  origin  than  the  previous  experience  of  the  pro- 
phet. The  vision  of  Abraham,  as  to  the  400  years' 
pilgrimage  of  his  seed  in  Canaan  and  in  Egypt,  not  only 
gives  the  pilgrimage  of  his  seed  in  Canaan  and  in  Egypt, 
which  was  a  natural  product  of  his  imagination ;  but 
also  the  long  duration  of  an  affliction  through  many 
generations  before  the  ultimate  conquest  of  Canaan  and 
the  realization  of  the  covenant  promises,  which  was  the 
reverse  of  the  natural  operation  of  his  imagination  under 
the  circumstances.^  The  dreams  of  Pharaoh  as  to  the 
years  of  plenty  and  famine,  while  they  sprang  out  of  the 
natural  circumstances  of  the  land  of  Egypt  and  the 
position  of  Pharaoh,  yet  in  their  elaboration  they  tran- 
scend any  possible  combinations  of  the  imagination  with- 
out external  guidance,  which  could  hardly  have  been 
other  than  su]3erhuman.^  The  necessity  of  interpretation 
and  the  exactness  of  the  interpretation  when  the  secret 
clue  was  given,  show  that  the  adjustment  was  that  of  a 
higher  power  which  had  made  the  dream  to  correspond 
with  the  predetermined  reality.  The  same  is  true  of  the 
dreams  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  the  visions  of  Daniel  and 
others.^  The  natural  conditions  and  features  of  the 
person  who  dreams  and  is  in  ecstasy  are  there,  but  the 
prediction  itself  is  so  extraordinary,  so  comprehensive,  so 
exact,  so  unerring,  that  it  implies  an  infalHble  divine 
influence.  Passing  from  the  prediction  of  the  dream  and 
^  Gen.  XV.  *  Gen.  xli.  ^  Dan.  ii.,  vii. 


PEEDICTIVE  PEOPHECT.  41 

the  vision  to  the  prediction  in  the  song  of  the  ecstatic 
state,  we  observe  that  Balaam's  predictions^  were  the 
reverse  of  his  wishes,  his  hopes  and  his  wilful  determina- 
tion and  effort  that  they  should  be  otherwise.  His 
imagination  was  constrained  by  an  overpowering  influence 
to  bless  in  the  harmonies  of  sacred  song  the  people  whom 
he  anxiously  strove  to  curse  in  odes  of  triumph  of  their 
enemies.  Such  prediction  cannot  be  explained  by  purely 
natural  influences. 

But  ordinarily  the  predictions  of  the  Hebrew  pro- 
phets issue  from  men  who  are  in  entire  sympathy  with 
their  utterances.  They  are  expressed  with  an  intensity 
of  emotion  and  a  rhetorical  vigour  which  assume  the 
forms  of  poetry  and  song,  and  sometimes  are  accompanied 
with  bodily  action  and  symbolical  illustration. 

Predictive  prophecy  is  ordinarily  of  the  highest  kind, 
in  the  forms  of  human  language  spoken  or  written.  As 
such  it  expresses  the  insight  and  the  foresight  of  the 
prophet,  where  the  reasoning  powers  co-operate  with  the 
imagination  and  the  fancy  in  the  construction  of  the 
grandest  conception  of  prophecy. 

It  is  necessary  to  discriminate  the  natural  from  the 
supernatural  features.  No  one  should  deny  that  the 
Hebrew  prophets  were  men  of  extraordinary  genius.  It 
is  not  necessary  to  degrade  the  Hebrew  prophets  as  men 
in  order  to  exalt  the  divine  influence  that  employed 
them.  They  exhibit  a  wonderful  familiarity  with  the 
history  of  their  nation.  They  were  patriots  in  the  best 
sense.  They  show  a  wide  acquaintance  with  the  religious 
and  political  afiairs  of  neighbouring  nations.  They  were 
statesmen.  But  above  all  they  were  pious  men,  whose 
religious  experience  was  intense,  whose  devotion  was  pro- 
found, and  whose  ethical  character  was  exalted.  We 
expect  such  men  to  have  wondrous  insight  and  foresight 
^  Num.  xxiii.-xxiv. 


42  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

Their  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  past,  and  their 
familiarity  with  the  present,  urged  them  to  a  keen  appre- 
hension and  a  vivid  realization  of  the  future. 

We  are  not  surprised  to  find  prediction  mingled  with 
historical  instruction  and  direct  practical  guidance  of  the 
people  in  the  affairs  of  the  present.  We  should  not 
think  it  necessary  to  explain  all  of  the  predictions  of  the 
prophets  from  an  extraordinary  divine  influence.  As 
men  who  were  pre-eminently  wise,  and  gifted  with  the 
highest  religious  endowments,  living  in  communion  with 
God,  their  wisdom  was  capable  of  prediction  such  as 
transcended  that  of  other  men. 

But  when  we  have  eliminated  all  that  can  fairly  be 
demanded  in  this  regard,  it  should  be  acknowledged  by 
the  careful  student  that  there  is  a  great  body  of  Hebrew 
prediction  which  cannot  be  so  explained.  The  insight  of 
the  Hebrew  prophet  is  so  profound  that  it  transcends  the 
native  energies  of  human  perception,  the  comprehension 
is  so  vast  that  the  conception  trained  to  its  highest 
caj)acity  could  not  grasp  it, — the  foresight  is  so  far- 
reaching  that  no  human  imagination  could  spring  to  its 
goal.  Hebrew  predictive  prophecy,  while  it  arises  in 
accordance  with  the  psychological  condition  of  the  human 
soul,  so  transcends  its  normal  powers  that  we  are  con- 
strained to  think  of  the  divine  mind  as  its  source  and 
inspiration. 

This  is  true  if  we  measure  Hebrew  prophecy  merely 
by  the  consciousness  of  the  individual  prophet ;  but 
when  we  consider  that  the  prophets  were  linked  in  a 
chain,  and  that  their  predictions  are  combined  in  a  system, 
— an  organic  whole  which  no  individual  proj)het  could 
possibly  comprehend,  which  now  stands  before  the 
scholarly  world  in  marvellous  unity  and  variety  as  the 
object  of  the  study  of  the  ages  of  the  past,  which  absorbs 
the  energies  of  the  present,  and  which  arches  the  future 


PEEDICTIVE  TEOPHECY.  43 

even  to  the  end  of  the  world, — we  are  forced  to  the 
conviction  that  the  one  master  of  the  Hebrew  prophets 
was  the  Spirit  of  God  ;  and  that  the  organic  system  of 
prophecy  is  a  product  of  the  mind  and  will  of  God. 

III.    THE  SYMBOLICAL  FORM  OF  HEBREW  PREDICTION. 

§  17.  Prediction  from  its  very  nature  ^presents  the  future 
in  the  forms  of  the  'present  and  the  past.  These  forms  are 
not  real  and  literal  representations  of  the  future,  but  ideal 
and  symlolical.  The  interpreter  finds  the  ideal  prediction 
in  the  form  of  the  symbol.  Symbolism  rises  in  several 
grades  from  the  use  of  external  objects  of  sense  to  the  more 
internal  and  higher  ideals  of  the  imagination  and  fancy. 

We  are  met  on  the  threshold  of  Hebrew  prediction 
with  the  bold  statements  of  Kuenen,  that  Hebrew 
prediction  has  been  proved  false  by  history  in  so  many 
particulars  that  the  system  cannot  be  regarded  as  true 
and  divine.  Its  predictions  have  not  been  fulfilled  in 
the  time  allotted  them,  and  the  fulfilment  is  no  longer 
possible.  The  reverse  of  the  predicted  has  often 
happened.  Hebrew  prediction  has  been  disproved  by 
events,  and  it  must  take  its  place  with  all  other  prophecy 
as  a  compound  of  truth  and  error,  of  blasted  hopes  and 
disappointed  expectations.^  These  charges  will  not  bear 
serious  examination.  They  really  concern  only  the 
scholastic  theory  of  prophecy  and  misinterpretations  of 
predictions. 

The  scholastic  theory  of  prophecy,  which  was  essentially 
Montanistic,  failed  to  distinguish  between  the  form  and 
Ihe  substance  of  prophecy.  It  sought  above  all  verbal 
accuracy  and  circumstantial  and  detailed  fulfilment.  It 
sought  by  strained  interpretations  to  identify  prophecy 
and  history.  The  efibrts  to  show  the  literal  fulfilment 
1  Kuenen  in  I.e.  chap.  v. 


44  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

of  the  predictions  of  Daniel  in  the  history  of  Israel  from 
the  exile  to  the  advent,  in  its  dreadful  inconsistencies  of 
interpretation,  have  so  disgraced  the  science  of  Biblical 
Interpretation  that  it  is  a  marvel  that  the  book  has 
survived  such  cruel  manipulation.  The  vain  efforts  to 
find  Christian  history  depicted  in  the  Apocalypse  of 
John  has  so  damaged  the  book  that  we  are  not  surprised 
that  even  Christian  scholars  should  have  abstained  from 
its  study  as  unprofitable.  Predictive  prophecy  has  been 
made  a  burden  to  apologetics  by  the  abuse  that  has 
been  made  of  it  by  self-constituted  defenders  of  the  faith 
and  presumptuous  champions  of  orthodoxy.  It  is  necessary 
that  evangelical  critics  should  rescue  predictive  prophecy 
from  the  hands  of  those  who  have  made  such  sad  mistakes. 

Kuenen  has  taken  advantage  of  the  errors  of  the 
scholastic  theory  and  interpretation  of  predictive  pro- 
phecy, and  has  dealt  Hebrew  prediction  the  severest 
blows  it  has  ever  received.  We  shall  parry  these  blows 
of  Kuenen  by  showing  that  they  have  destroyed  the 
scholastic  theory,  but  they  have  not  in  the  slightest 
degree  injured  Hebrew  prediction  as  such. 

Predictive  prophecy  has  its  necessary  forms  and 
limitations,  which  we  should  carefully  study  in  order  to 
understand  it.  We  shall  first  distingjuish  the  form  from 
the  substance  of  the  prediction,  and  then  present  the 
necessary  limits  of  Hebrew  prediction ;  for  we  would 
unfold  the  truth  which  Tholuck  has  so  well  expressed 
when  he  says,  "  It  is  not  prediction  of  the  accidental,  but 
of  that  which  is  of  religious  necessity,  which  is  the 
essential  thing  in  Hebrew  prophecy."  ^ 

Kuenen  has  the  right  of  it  over  against  the  scholastic 
apologists  when  he  says :  "  When  they  assert  that  the 
prophecies  have  been  fulfilled  exactly  and  literally,  and 
thence  deduce  far-reaching  consequences,  we  cannot  rest 

^  Die  Propheten,  p.  77. 


PREDICTIVE  PROPHECY.  45 

satisfied  with  the  general  agreement  between  the  prediction 
and  the  historical  fact,  but  must  note  also  along  with  that 
the  deviation  in  details,  as  often  as  such  a  deviation  is 
actually  apparent."  ^  But  Kuenen  and  the  Scliolastics  are 
here  alike  in  error,  for  the  prophecies  are  predictive  only 
as  to  the  essential  and  the  ideal  elements.  The  purely 
formal  elements  belong  to  the  point  of  view  and  colour- 
ing of  the  individual  prophets.  We  are  not  to  find  exact 
and  literal  fulfilments  in  detail  or  in  general,  but  the 
fulfilment  is  limited,  as  the  prediction  is  limited,  to  the 
essential  ideal  contents  of  the  prophecy.  We  start 
therefore  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  prediction,  and 
thence  rise  through  several  forms  of  prediction. 

The  future  judgment  and  redemption,  the  tv/o  poles  of 
predictive  prophecy,  are  necessarily  based  on  present 
experience  of  discipline  and  upon  the  history  of  redemp- 
tion and  judicial  acts  of  Jahveh  in  the  past.  Looking 
forth  into  the  future,  prophetic  prediction  clothes  and 
represents  that  which  is  to  come  in  the  scenery  and 
language  familiar  to  it  in  the  present  and  in  the  past. 
The  most  suitable  events,  persons,  and  things  of  the  past 
and  the  present  are  employed.  Hence  the  type  or  the 
symbol  lies  at  the  basis  of  all  genuine  prediction.  The 
particular  type  chosen  depends  partly  upon  the  experience 
of  the  prophet  and  the  circumstances  of  the  times ; 
partly  upon  divine  command  or  the  enlightenment  of  the 
prophetic  Spirit. 

§  18.  The  lowest  form  of  symholic  prophecy  is  the  use  of 
external  things  like  cords,  sticks,  yokes,  vessels  and  the  like, 
to  represent  in  a  rude  hut  graphic  way  the  impending 
event. 

The  historical  books  of  the  Old  Testament  contain  a 
large  number  of  examples  of  the  use  of  rude  symbols  ; 
1  111  I.e.  p.  132. 


46  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

and  the  prophetical  books  give  not  a  few  of  them.  Thus 
Ahijah  the  Shilonite  "laid  hold  of  the  new  garment 
which  was  on  him,  and  rent  it  in  twelve  pieces.  And  he 
said  to  Jeroboam,  Take  thee  ten  pieces ;  for  thus  saith 
Jahveh,  the  God  of  Israel,  Behold,  I  will  rend  the  kingdom 
out  of  the  hand  of  Solomon,  and  will  give  ten  tribes  unto 
thee."  ^  The  pieces  of  garment  here  symbolize  the  tribes 
of  Israel,  and  the  rending  of  the  cloth,  the  division  of  the 
tribes  into  two  kingdoms,  with  ten  tribes  to  one  kingdom 
and  two  to  the  other  kingdom.  Sometimes  we  cannot  be 
sure  whether  the  symbolic  thing  was  actually  used  or 
was  simply  put  into  the  discourse  of  the  prophet.  Thus 
Ezekiel  uses  two  sticks  with  the  names  of  Judah  and 
Israel,  which  he  joins  to  make  one  stick  in  his  hand  in 
order  to  represent  the  ultimate  reunion  of  the  kingdoms.^ 
Jeremiah  uses  two  baskets  of  figs,  the  one  very  good,  the 
other  very  bad,  to  represent  the  good  and  the  evil  classes 
in  Israel  and  the  ultimate  ruin  of  the  one  and  redemption 
of  the  other.^ 

These  are  sufficient  examples  of  a  large  number  of 
symbohc  things  used  by  the  Hebrew  prophets.  No  one 
would  look  for  exact  and  literal  fulfilment  of  these 
symbols.     All  agree  in  seeking  the  ideal  content. 

§  19.  The  Hebrew  ^;?'6»j?7i,c^s  ordinarily  -use  liiglicr 
symhols,  which  are  called  types,  such  as  historic  persons  or 
events,  great  institutions,  or  experiences  in  real  life.  The 
exact  correspondence  of  type  and  antitype  is  impossible. 
The  antitype  transcends  the  type  as  the  ideal  transcends  the 
form  which  is  inadequate  to  present  it. 

The  doctrine  of  typology  has  been  greatly  abused  in 
the  Christian  Church,  by  seeking  and  finding  types  every- 
where in  Scripture.      There  is  indeed  no  limit  to  the  use 
of  types.     Almost  every  person,  thing,  circumstance  or 
1  1  Kings  xi.  30,  31.        ^  Ezek.  xxxvii.  16  seq.         ^  j^^^  ^^iv. 


PREDICTIVE  PROPHECY.  47 

event  may  be  used  to  represent  an  antitype  in  some 
respect.  There  is  a  proper  use  of  typology  in  the 
practical  interpretation  of  the  historical  books.  But  we 
have  here  only  to  do  with  the  types  which  the  prophets 
themselves  use.  These  are  in  sufficient  variety  as  they 
are  gathered  from  the  past  or  the  present,  from  persons 
or  things,  from  circumstances  or  events,  from  experiences 
of  everyday  life,  and  from  the  great  objects  of  nature. 

The    type    may    be   a  person   like   Moses,  David,  or 
Solomon.     What  more  natural   than  that  the  Messiah 
should  be  represented  as  a  second  Moses,  a  prophet  like 
him  and  yet  his  superior ;  a  warlike  monarch,  victorious 
as  David  ;  a  prince  of  peace  like  Solomon  ?     There  have 
been  those   who  have  argued  from  the  prediction  of  a 
second  Elijah,  that  the  original  Elijah  was  to  rise  from 
the  dead ;  but  Jesus  gave  the  true  interpretation  when 
He  saw  this  second  Elijah  in  John  the  Baptist.^     The 
nature  of  the  type  is   such  that  it   enables  us  to  under- 
stand in  general    what  the  character  of  the  person  so 
represented   is  to   be,  but  exact  identification   or  literal 
correspondence  between  the  type  and  the  antitype  would 
be  no  less  absurd  than  if  we  were  to  suppose  that  the 
prophet  conceived  of  the  resurrection  of  every  person  he 
used  as  a  type, — such  a  conception  would  indeed  destroy 
typology    altogether.     The    person    is    a    type    used   to 
represent  another,  person  in  the  particulars  of  the  predic- 
tion.    The  person  used  as  a  type  belongs  to  the  form  of 
the  prediction  and  not  to  its  substance.    He  is  illustrative, 
descriptive  and  representative,  but  nothing  more.     He  no 
more  corresponds  with  the  exact  reality  of  the   future 
than  the  ten  pieces  of  the  garment  of  Ahijah  corresponded 
with  the  ten  tribes  of  Israel. 

When  now  instead  of  a  person  we  use  an  institution 
like  the  passover,  or  the  ark  of  the  covenant,  or  the  tiara 
1  Matt.  xi.  14  ;  Mai.  iv.  5. 


48  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

of  the  high  priest  as  symbols  of  the  institutions  of  the 
new  dispensation,  the  laws  of  symbolism  forljid  that  we 
should  expect  exact  and  literal  correspondence.  They 
require  that  with  a  certain  formal  correspondence  the 
antitype  should  be  vastly  higher  and  grander  in  form 
than  the  type.  Transcendence  is  essential  to  the  idea  of 
the  type.  So  in  the  use  of  a  great  historic  event  like 
the  exodus,  or  the  conquest  of  Canaan,  or  the  captivity 
in  Egypt,  or  the  wanderings  in  the  wilderness  to  represent 
the  future  experience  of  redemption,  to  expect  exact 
correspondence  and  literal  fulfilment  destroys  the  very 
nature  of  typology. 

The  higher  we  ascend  in  symbolism  the  more  difficult 
the  discrimination  between  the  essential  ideal  of  the 
symbol  and  the  unimportant  clothing,  but  this  does  not 
justify  the  interpreter  in  insisting  upon  exact  and  literal 
conformity  in  the  one  case  any  more  than  in  the  other. 
It  rather  urges  to  a  closer  study  of  the  symbol  in  order 
to  make  those  discriminations  upon  which  the  meaning 
of  the  prediction  depends.  For  the  Hebrew  prophets 
rise  to  the  most  intricate  themes  in  their  symbolism. 
They  not  only  use  the  external  history  of  the  past  with 
its  great  persons,  institutions  and  events,  but  they  freely 
employ  the  great  persons  and  institutions  and  events  of 
their  own  times,  and  even  enter  into  the  deep  and  sacred 
experiences  of  their  own  souls,  in  order  to  represent  the 
innermost  experience  of  future  persons  and  generations. 
To  expect  exact  and  literal  fulfilment  of  such  types  is 
unnatural  and  unscientific.  It  transc^resses  the  nature  of 
the  type,  which  requires  that  the  symbol  or  type  should 
represent  the  prediction  only  in  certain  given  features. 
The  type  is  the  clothing  of  the  predicted  ideal.  It  is  the 
duty  of  the  interpreter  to  determine  the  essential  idea, 
and  to  decline  to  allow  himself  to  be  absorbed  either  in 
the  general  features  or  in  the  minute  details  of  the  type. 


PKEDICTIVE  PrtOPHECY.  49 

It  is  the  one  aim  of  the  interpreter  to  find  the  key  to 
the  symbol,  and  by  it  unlock  the  mystery  of  the  repre- 
sentation. For  predictive  prophecy  is  and  must  be  a 
higher  parabolic  teaching.  If  the  Hebrew  moralists  used 
ancient  stories  and  legends,  and  clothed  them  with  familiar 
scenery  in  order  to  point  a  lesson  (and  the  Hebrew 
Haggada  is  full  of  this  method  of  instruction) — if  our 
Saviour  used  the  parable  to  enforce  an  ideal  that  was  to 
be  of  everlasting  importance  and  we  find  it  a  delightful 
task  to  search  for  the  key,  why  should  any  one  deem  it 
essential  to  find  exact  correspondence  in  the  prophetic 
symbol  ?  Why  should  he  not  rather  use  every  effort  to 
find  the  door  to  its  mysteries  ?  Indeed,  predictive 
prophecy  from  its  very  nature  not  only  assumes  the 
symbolic  form,  but  it  hides  its  solution.  For  the  peril  to 
prediction  is  in  efforts  on  the  part  of  false  prophets  and 
impostors  to  realize  it.  The  clue  is  a  secret  clue,  often 
so  carefully  hidden  that  centuries  of  study  have  not  found 
it.  Prophecy  is  its  own  interpreter,  and  it  is  often 
designed  by  the  infinite  mind  that  its  solution  should 
remain  unknown  until  the  event  itself  occurred.  Like 
the  predictive  dreams  of  Pharaoh  and  Nebuchadnezzar, 
they  need  a  Joseph  or  a  Daniel  to  find  the  golden  thread 
to  guide  through  their  labyrinthine  mysteries.  The  great 
symbols  of  Hebrew  predictive  prophecy  remained  riddles 
of  comfort  and  warning — all  the  more  dread  and  inspiring 
from  their  profound  and  awful  mystery — until  they  were 
resolved  by  the  events  predicted.  The  first  advent  is 
the  great  resolver  of  all  Old  Testament  prophecy.  Jesus 
opened  the  understanding  of  His  apostles  that  they  might 
understand  the  Scriptures.  The  second  advent  will  give 
the  key  to  New  Testament  prophecy.  It  is  the  Lamb 
that  has  been  slain,  the  everlasting  and  blessed  One  who 
alone  opens  the  sealed  book,  solves  the  riddles  of  time, 
and  resolves  the  symbols  of  ]3rophecy. 


60  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

§  20.  Tlie  Hebrew  prophets  rise  to  a  higher  use  of 
syriibolism  in  the  constructions  of  the  imagination  and  the 
fancy.  Tliey  eni'ploy  the  parable,  the  allegory  and  the  tale. 
In  these  forms  of  prediction  there .  is  a  contrast  between 
the  real  and  the  ideal,  which  is  sometimes  expressed  in 
the  extravagance  and  grotesqueness  of  the  representation. 
The  fulfilment  is  the  reverse  of  literal  and.  exact  cor- 
responde7ice. 

Hebrew  prophecy  rises  above  the  simple  use  of  the 
type  to  a  higher  form  which  has  been  called  typico- 
prophetic.  Sometimes  the  type  remains  by  itself  as  if  by 
simple  index,  without  explanation,  it  would  point  out  in 
a  graphic  symbol  as  a  sign  the  impending  future ;  but 
often  the  type  is  found  inadequate  in  itself  for  the  work 
of  prediction.  The  prophet  works  with  it,  strains  and 
stretches  it  beyond  any  possible  proportions,  so  that  it 
becomes  extravagant  and  even  grotesque.  This  use  of 
the  type  is  in  order  to  emphasize  the  contrast  between 
the  type  and  the  antitype,  and  shows  that  exact,  literal 
correspondence  is  impossible.  Thus  the  poet  uses  a 
gigantic  vine  to  illustrate  the  marvellous  growth  of  the 
kingdom  of  God.  It  was  transplanted  from  Egypt  to 
Canaan,  covered  the  whole  land,  reached  with  its  branches 
from  the  Mediterranean  to  the  Euphrates,  cast  the  cedars 
of  Lebanon  in  shade  of  its  gigantic  boughs.^  Thus 
Daniel  uses  the  stone  cut  out  of  the  mountain  without 
hands  growing  to  become  a  vast  mountain  filling  the 
whole  earth.^  The  mountain  of  the  house  of  Jahveh 
rises  above  the  highest  mountains.^  Ezekiel  represents 
the  New  Jerusalem  and  the  holy  land  in  impossible 
proportions  and  situations.*  Some  of  these  cases  are  so 
grotesque  and  extravagant  that  no  one  could  for  a 
moment  think  of  an  exact  and  literal  fulfilment.     And 

^  Ps.  Ixxx.  *  Dan.  ii. 

•  ]\Iiciih  iv.     Isa  ii.  *  Ezek.  xl.  seq. 


PKEDICTIVE  PEOPHECY.  51 

yet  there  are  a  large  number  of  predictions  wliicli  in 
their  proper  interpretation  are  no  less  impossible.  These 
have  been  so  interpreted  by  Scholastics  as  to  find  exact 
fulfilment,  and  by  Eationalists  as  to  show  that  they  have 
not  been  fulfilled.  A  striking  example  of  this  is  the 
new  temple  and  holy  land  and  institutions  of  Ezekiel,  and 
under  this  head  may  be  brought  all  that  large  class 
relating  to  Israel's  future  which  Kuenen  argues  to  be 
unfulfilled  and  to  be  impossible  of  fulfilment.  He  classi- 
fies them  thus :  (1)  the  return  of  Israel  out  of  captivity ; 
(2)  the  reunion  of  Ephraim  and  Judah  ;  (3)  the  supremacy 
of  the  house  of  David ;  (4)  the  spiritual  and  material 
welfare  of  the  restored  Israel ;  (5)  the  relation  between 
Israel  and  the  Gentiles ;  (6)  Israel's  undisturbed  con- 
tinuance in  the  land  of  their  habitation.^ 

If  exact  and  literal  fulfilment  of  these  prophecies  was 
designed  in  the  predictions,  then  we  must  agree  with 
Kuenen  that  they  have  been  disproved  by  history ;  but 
it  is  against  the  laws  of  prophetic  prediction  so  to  inter- 
pret them.  These  predictions  are  not  only  impossible 
now,  but  in  form  many  of  them  always  were  impossible. 
Israel  in  predictive  prophecy  is  not  Israel  after  the  flesh 
but  Israel  after  the  spirit,  as  the  Apostle  Paul  explains.^ 
The  true  children  of  Abraham  are  the  faithful.^  The 
Christian  Church  is  the  legitimate  successor  of  the  Israel 
of  old  and  the  heir  of  its  promises.*  The  essential 
contents  of  these  predictions  when  eliminated  from  their 
formal  elements  are  spiritual  and  not  carnal.^  The  type 
was  made  extravagant  and  impossible  so  as  to  show  that 
the  ideal  contents  were  in  contrast  with  their  formal 
presentation.  It  is  thus  essential  to  this  form  of  pre- 
diction that  the  realization  should  be  the  reverse  of 
literal  and  exact  correspondence. 

1  In  I.e.  p.  189  seq.  2  j^o^   [^  g^q,  3  j^q^^  jy, 

*  1  Pet.  ii.  4  seq.  *  Konig  in  l,c.  ii  p.  396  seq. 


52  MESSIA.N1C  PROPHECY. 

§  21.  The  highest  form  of  Hehrew  prophecy  is  called 
direct  prophecy.  But  even  here  the  symbolical  form  is  iiot 
abandoned.  There  is  a  more  subtile  use  of  symbolical 
language.  This  is  especially  true  in  the  combinations  of 
sacred  numbers.  The  secret  clue  is  to  be  discovered  as  the 
only  safe  guide  to  interpretation. 

The  highest  form  attained  by  Hebrew  prediction  is 
ordinarily  called  direct  j)rophecy.  It  seldom  is  found 
alone,  but  usually  accompanies  the  type  as  its  explana- 
tion. Sometimes  the  type  is  abandoned  as  inadequate, 
and  symbolical  language  assumes  its  place  for  the  higher 
stage  of  the  prediction.  Then  again  the  prediction  rises 
in  three  stages.  Beginning  with  the  type,  the  prophet 
advances  to  such  a  use  of  it  that  it  becomes  extravagant 
in  his  hands.  It  is  then  cast  aside  and  he  springs  to  his 
climax  in  direct  prophecy.  Even  in  this  highest  form  of 
prediction  the  symbolical  form  is  not  abandoned,  it  is 
only  changed  to  the  use  of  figurative,  illustrative,  descrip- 
tive language,  and  the  interpretation  instead  of  becoming 
easier  has  become  more  difficult.  This  is  especially  the 
case  ill  the  use  of  numbers.  It  is  just  here  that  the 
Apologists  have  made  the  greatest  blunders  which  the 
Eationalists  have  not  been  slow  to  utihze  for  the 
destruction  of  Hebrew  prophecy. 

Thus  Kuenen  insists  that  because  the  prophets  expected 
that  their  predictions  would  soon  be  realized  ^  and  that 
the  events  predicted  were  close  at  hand,^  they  were 
mistaken,  and  their  predictions  were  not  fulfilled  even 
when  they  happened  at  a  long  time  subsequently  or  may 
yet  be  capable  of  realization.  So  it  is  represented  that 
because  Jesus  and  His  apostles  expected  the  second 
advent  very  soon  after  the  first  that  they  were  mistaken. 
But  all  these  objections  rest  upon  a  mistaken  conception 
of  predictive  prophecy.  The  times  of  prophecy  are  as 
1  lu  i.c.  p.  loa  2  i^  iq^  p.  110. 


PREDICTIVE  PEOPHECT.  53 

symbolical  as  the  objects  themselves.  We  claim  that  all 
prophetical  numbers  are  symbolical,  and  that  none  of 
them  are  to  be  taken  as  exact  or  literal.  The  efforts  of 
interpreters  to  determine  from  the  numbers  of  Daniel 
the  intervals  to  the  first  advent  have  ignominiously 
failed.  The  efforts  of  interpreters  to  measure  the  times 
of  the  Apocalypse  and  indicate  the  times  of  the  second 
advent  are  worse  than  ridiculous.  Those  who  indulge 
in  such  follies  are  blindly  labouring  to  undermine  and 
destroy  Hebrew  prophecy  and  the  Bible  itself,  of  which 
it  is  an  essential  part. 

The  prophets  all  share  in  this  characteristic  feature  of 
presenting  their  predictions  as  near  of  realization.^  If 
the  prophetic  numbers  are  taken  as  exact  and  literal, 
consistency  of  interpretation  forces  us  to  regard  these 
terms  also  as  exact  and  literal.  But  if  we  take  this 
position,  then  we  cannot  escape  the  conclusion  that  all 
of  the  prophets  were  in  error  as  to  the  element  of  time, 
and  that  their  predictions  were  in  so  far  false.  But  we 
claim  that  the  prophetic  temporal  terminology  is  symboli- 
cal as  prophetic  prediction  is  throughout  symbolical,  and 
that  exact  and  literal  numbers  are  against  the  essential 
principle  of  prediction.  It  would  reduce  predictive 
prophecy  to  a  system  of  chronology.  The  prophetic 
numbers  are  riddles  and  enigmas  to  be  solved  after  the 
key  is  found.  The  meaning  is  not  on  the  surface.  This 
is  true  also  of  the  terms  near  and  at  hand.  The  pro- 
phets ever  continue  to  use  these  expressions  as  the 
technical  language  of  prophecy.  How  could  they  go  on 
doing  so  if  these  terms  had  a  strict  and  exact  meaning  ? 
Every  prophet  would  appear  to  his  successors  as  in  error 
in  this  particular.  Nearness  to  Joel  would  prove  a  long 
historical  distance  to  Isaiah.     Isaiah's  nearness  would  be 

1  The  Hebrew  term  mp  and  the  Greek  'iyyvg  are  essential  pro- 
phetic terminology. 


54  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

long  past  to  Jeremiah,  and  Jeremiah's  to  Malachi,  and  yet 
they  go  on  representing  the  day  of  Jahveh  as  at  hand — 
His  judgments  and  His  redemption  as  near,  without  any 
indications  of  a  lack  of  confidence  in  their  predecessors, 
but  with  a  full  reliance  upon  the  integrity  of  prophecy. 
And  Jesus  and  His  apostles  use  these  identical  terms  in 
the  same  way,  although  all  the  prophetic  predictions  of 
the  Old  Testament  were  remote  to  them. 

Still  further,  while  Jesus  uses  this  prophetic  termi- 
nology, He  expressly  teaches  that  the  times  and  seasons  are 
reserved  to  God,  that  no  man,  or  angel,  or  even  the  Son 
of  man  can  define  them.-^  These  terms  must  therefore 
have  a  technical  prophetic  sense,  and  this  is  not  difficult 
to  determine.  The  nearness  and  the  at  hand  of  prophetic 
prediction  indicate  the  certainty  of  the  events.  They 
are  as  vivid  to  the  mind  and  as  ardently  desu-ed  or 
anxiously  dreaded  as  the  events  of  to-morrow.  They 
are  on  the  to-morrow  of  prophecy — those  latter  days  in 
view  of  which  every  intervening  time  is  of  infinitesimal 
importance  and  overlooked  as  of  trifling  moment.  The 
nearness  and  at  hand  of  prophetic  prediction  indicate  also 
the  uncertainty  of  the  time.  The  interval  between  the 
to-day  of  prophecy  and  the  to-morrow  of  prophecy  is 
but  a  night-time  of  uncertain  duration,  so  uncertain  that 
to-day  is  and  must  ever  be  of  supreme  importance.  For 
to-day  is  a  preparation,  not  for  the  interval  until  the 
last  days,  but  for  the  last  day  itself,  which  is  at  hand  in 
the  sense  that  it  is  ever  impending. 

Thus  in  every  form  of  prediction  the  laws  of  predic- 
tion preclude  exact  and  literal  fulfilment.  They  require 
us  to  find  the  key  or  clue,  and  only  by  the  key  or  clue 
can  we  find  those  essential  ideal  elements,  originally 
designed  in  the  prediction,  embodied  in  it,  stereotyped 
therein,  and  waiting  for  the  time  when  the  event  will 
^  Matt.  xxiv.  42  seq. ;  Mark  xiii.  32  seq. ;  Acts  i.  7. 


PREDICTIVE  PROPHECY.  55 

justify  them  and  prove  their  reality  and  their  divine 
origin.  When  Hebrew  prophecy  is  regarded  from  this 
point  of  view,  we  observe  that  its  fulfilment  has  been 
raised  above  the  designs  of  impostors  and  deceivers. 
False  Messiahs  have  presented  themselves  as  fulfillers  of 
Hebrew  prophecy,  and  these  have  ever  pointed  to  some 
trivial  details,  and  urged  literal  and  exact  correspondence  ; 
but  when  the  true  Messiah  came.  His  correspondence  with 
prophecy  was  not  distinctly  recognized.  It  was  not 
exact  and  literal.  It  was  not  on  the  surface.  It  was 
not  until  the  death  on  the  cross,  the  resurrection  and 
ascension  of  the  Messiah  that  the  key  to  Old  Testament 
prophecy  was  given,  and  its  solution  found  in  part.  The 
risen  Saviour  opened  the  understanding  of  His  apostles 
that  they  might  understand  the  Scriptures.  It  will  not 
be  until  the  second  advent  that  the  ultimate  solution  of 
the  prophetic  system  will  be  given.  The  first  advent 
resolved  all  Hebrew  prophecy  into  two  great  parts,  and 
in  giving  us  the  fulfilment  of  the  one  part  it  guarantees 
the  fulfilment  of  the  other  part. 

IV.   THE  LIMITS  OF  PREDICTION. 

§  22.  The  prophets  are  human  beings,  and  although  they 
hecome  the  instruments  of  eonveying  divine  ideas  to  their 
fellow-men,  yet  these  divine  ideas  assume  the  forms  and  the 
clothing  of  the  human  medium  through  which  they  pass. 
They  cannot  transcend  the  psychological  and  physical 
features  of  human  nature. 

The  prophets  being  men  of  intellectual  and  moral 
worth,  influenced  by  the  divine  Spirit  to  think,  feel  and 
act  with  reference  to  the  divine  ideas  imparted  to  them, 
they  speak  and  write  and  act  under  the  physical  and 
psychological  laws  of  their  own  being.  The  prophets, 
looking  into  the  future,  follow  the  lines  of   the  move- 


56  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

ments  of  their  own  times,  tracing  them  to  their  results. 
Their  insight  and  foresight  are  intensified  by  the  energy 
of  the  divine  Spirit  which  enlarges  their  native  intellec- 
tual and  moral  powers  to  the  extent  that  may  be 
necessary  for  the  purposes  of  the  prediction. 

§  23.  It  is  a  law  of  jpredictive  pro^phecy  that  the  pro- 
phet foresees  the  final  goal  to  which  the  movements  of  his 
time  are  tending,  and  which  they  will  inevitably  reach ;  hut 
he  does  not  foresee  all  the  conditions  and  circumstances 
that  intervene  or  modify  the  approaches  to  that  end. 

He  predicts  in  a  few  broad  outlines  and  graphic 
touches,  but  he  is  not  and  he  cannot  be  an  annalist  or  a 
historian.  He  sees  the  final  end  of  redemption  or  of 
judgment  upon  the  individual,  the  nation  or  the  world ; 
but  he  cannot  grasp  in  his  conception  or  delineate  in  his 
representation  all  the  forces  converging  to  that  end,  or 
the  various  curvings  of  the  historical  movements  in  their 
approaches  to  the  ideal.  He  sees  the  end  to  be  attained, 
and  the  relation  to  that  end  of  the  persons  or  things  or 
events  in  which  he  is  more  immediately  concerned ;  but 
he  cannot  see  the  intervening  objects  and  events,  and  the 
forces  constantly  increasing  in  complexity  as  they  con- 
verge towards  it/  The  prophet  stands  as  it  were 
upon  a  lofty  mountain.  Far  in  the  distance,  beyond 
the  range  that  bounds  the  horizon  of  his  generation, 
he  sees  the  goal  of  the  journey.  But  he  cannot  see 
all  the  hills  and  valleys,  the  rocks  and  streams  and 
the  lesser  mountain  ranges  which  intervene  between 
him  and  the  predicted  goal.  It  seems  but  a  short 
journey,  and  it  would  be  short  if  it  were  possible  to 
move  on  directly  to  the  goal.  But  this  is  not  possible, 
for   events  must   take   their  course  in   accordance  with 

^  Riehm  in  I.e.  2  Aufl.  p.  104  seq. ;  Edinburgh  edition,  p.  84  seq.  ; 
also  Konig  in  I.e.  ii.  p.  307  seq. 


PREDICTIVE  PROPHECY.  57 

human  conditions  and  circumstances.  The  prophet 
cannot  emancipate  himself  from  his  human  nature  and 
surroundings.  He  cannot  divest  himself  of  his  historic 
position  and  circumstances.  He  cannot  ignore  or  escape 
his  point  of  view.  God  has  given  him  his  position  as  a 
religious  teacher  in  a  particular  generation  and  in  a 
certain  epoch  of  the  world's  history  and  in  a  certain 
geographical  locality.  Hence  his  prediction  clothes  itself 
with  the  local,  the  temporal  and  the  circumstantial  dress. 
The  future  events  cannot  be  presented  in  prediction  in 
the  circumstances  of  the  future  and  from  the  point  of 
view  of  the  future.  If  that  were  so  it  would  no  longer 
be  prediction,  but  history. 

§  24.  Prediction  rises  above  temporal  measurements  and 
chronological  distinctions.  The  end  in  view  ever  seems  near 
as  the  object  of  hope  and  ardent  longing,  or  the  object  of 
dread  and  anxious  foreboding,  the  central  theme  of  the 
message  of  comfort  or  of  warning ;  and  yet  the  prophet 
knows  not  the  times  or  seasons  which  God  hath  reserved  to 
Himself 

The  prophet  may  be  able  to  measure  the  distance  in 
time  in  symbolical  numbers  having  in  the  proportions  of 
prophecy  a  relative  importance ;  but  he  cannot  count  in 
measures  of  human  time,  or  enable  his  interpreters  in 
subsequent  ages  to  calculate  better  than  himself.^  The 
times  of  prophecy  are  enigmatical  and  in  the  highest 
degree  uncertain.  If  they  show,  on  the  one  hand,  the 
great  deliberation  of  God,  that  He  prepares  the  way  for 
the  fulfilment  of  His  promises  as  if  a  thousand  years  were 
but  a  day  or  the  fraction  of  a  night,  and  that  He  waits 
for  the  completion  of  the  appointed  time  when  the  ages 
have  became  full  and  ripe  for  the  event ;  they  yet  show, 
on  the  other  hand,  the  swift  and  inevitable  movement  of 
1  Riehm  in  I.e.  2  Aufl.  p.  109  seq. 


58  MESSIANIC  PKOPHECY. 

the  divine  purpose,  as  if  a  thousand  years'  labour  were  to 
be  accomplished  in  a  day  or  an  hour  or  a  moment ;  for 
when  that  moment  approaches,  which  is  the  final  goal 
of  all  prophecy,  that  supreme  hour  of  the  world,  that  day 
of  doom,  which  is  ever  presented  as  near  and  at  hand, 
events  will  move  with  the  rapidity  of  the  lightning 
flash  and  surprise  the  whole  creation  with  that  most 
wonderful  transformation,  which  is  the  ripe  fruit  of  the 
entire  development  of  the  earth,  the  birth  for  which  the 
creation  has  been  travailing  through  the  centuries. 

This  then  is  the  ringing  lesson  of  all  predictive  pro- 
phecy. Be  patient  in  suffering,  for  redemption  is  surely 
coming — we  know  not  how  quickly.  Eepent  immediately, 
for  the  day  of  judgment  may  come  at  any  moment. 
This  is  the  constant  attitude  of  Biblical  prophecy — this 
is  the  lesson  of  its  symbolical  near  and  at  Imnd. 

§  25.  There  is  an  uncertain  factor  in  all  prediction 
which  depends  upon  the  ever  varying  relations  of  God  and 
man  in  the  interp)lay  of  human  freedom  and  divine  law. 
The  variation  of  motives  in  the  divine  mind  and  in  human 
experience,  and  the  corresponding  variation  of  forces  in 
history,  shorten  or  prolong,  simplify  or  maize  complex  and 
uncertain  all  preparatory  times  and  events. 

This  is  the  most  difficult  and  the  most  neglected  of 
all  the  limitations  of  Hebrew  prediction.  It  vsprings  out 
of  the  divine  constitution  of  the  individual  man,  and  the 
complex  organization  of  human  society  and  national  life. 
Kuenen  very  properly  emphasizes  this  point,  but  in  such 
a  way  as  to  make  Hebrew  prediction  altogether  human 
and  altogether  uncertain.^  We  should  use  great  caution 
here  so  as  not  to  do  violence  either  to  the  divdne  or 
the  human  element.  The  representations  of  Scripture 
show  very  clearly  that  there  is  a  divine  motive  for 
'  In  I.e.  p.  346  seq. 


PEEDICTIVE  PROPHECY.  59 

hastening  the  time  of  prediction,  namely,  in  order  to  the 
redemption  of  the  elect.  And  there  is  a  divine  motive 
for  lengthening  the  interval,  to  increase  their  number. 
And  so  men  must  sometimes  pray  for  the  coming  of  the 
Eedeemer,  and  then  again  for  the  progress  of  redemption. 
This  interplay  of  motives  in  the  divine  mind  and  in 
human  petition,  and  of  forces  in  history,  shorten  and 
prolong  and  render  uncertain  all  preparatory  times  and 
institutions.  In  the  predictions  of  judgment  there  are 
limitations  in  the  warning  to  repentance  and  the  possi- 
bility of  redemption.  In  the  predictions  of  redemption 
there  are  ever  limitations  in  warnings  against  sin 
and  apostasy  and  the  possibility  of  judgment.  Thus  in 
the  larger  frame  of  the  prediction  there  are  conflicting 
forces  and  movements  which  cannot  prevent  its  ultimate 
reahzation,  but  which  lengthen  or  shorten  the  interval 
and  modify  the  circumstances  and  conditions. 

Hebrew  prophecy  is  not  ashamed  of  occasional  re- 
calling of  circumstantial  threatenings  and  promises. 
God  is  the  Sovereign  and  Father  of  His  people.-^  He 
has  not  wound  up  human  events  like  a  clock  and  left  it 
to  unwind  itself  in  the  remorseless  swing  of  its  pendulum. 
He  watches  over  the  destinies  of  the  world  with  patient 
love  and  providential  care.  In  the  general  drift  of  His 
purpose  and  the  immense  sweep  of  His  design  He  has 
provided  for  occasional  modifications  and  adaptations  to 
time  and  place  and  circumstances.  God  and  man  are 
united  in  the  working  out  of  the  purpose  of  redemption, 
and  that  working  gives  opportunity  to  repentance  unto 
salvation.  The  conditional  element  does  not  destroy  the 
essential  prediction  any  more  than  it  destroys  the  work- 
ings of  God  in  the  past  and  the  present.  It  rather 
enhances  the  glory  of  Hebrew  predictive  prophecy  that 
it  has  room  for  the  free  play  of  the  conditional  factor, 
*  Konig  in  I.e.  p.  390  seq. 


60  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

without  permitting  it  to  modify  the  determinative  and 
essential  factor. 

Ever  bounding  the  prophetic  range  of  insight  and  fore- 
sight is  the  horizon  of  a  complete  redemption.  It  is  the 
same  with  each  prophet  as  he  comes  with  a  fresh  message 
and  sees  farther  and  wider  and  deeper  than  his  pre- 
decessors ;  and  so  along  the  whole  line  of  prophets  even 
into  the  New  Testament  and  in  the  prophetic  utterances 
of  Jesus  and  His  apostles.  This  does  not  show  any  in- 
correctness in  the  earlier  prophecies,  but  rather  that  they 
were  what  they  must  be  from  the  very  nature  of  the 
case,  partial  and  incomplete.  The  prophetic  inspiration 
is  all  the  grander,  that  these  partial  revelations  coming 
from  so  many  different  persons,  in  widely  different  inter- 
vals of  time,  yet  fit  into  each  other  with  the  utmost 
nicety,  adjusting  themselves  to  the  harmonious  proportions 
of  one  complete  and  perfect  system  of  divine  revelation ; 
as  so  many  folds  of  a  developing  germ,  unfolding  slowly 
yet  grandly  in  majestic  proportions  into  the  historical 
Messiah,  Christian  salvation,  the  second  advent  hope  and 
the  Dies  irae, 

V.    MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

§  26.  The  central  theme  and  the  culmination  of 
Hebrew  prophecy  is  the  Messiomic  ideal.  Messianic  pro- 
phecy is  the  prediction  of  the  completion  of  redemption 
through  the  Messiah. 

Hebrew  prophecy  rises  in  higher  and  higher  stages 
until  it  culminates  in  Messianic  prophecy.  This  is  the 
central  theme  about  which  all  its  lessons  cluster.  This 
is  the  fountain  whence  all  its  streams  of  blessing  and  of 
cursing  flow  in  never-ending  succession.  Messianic  pro- 
phecy is  the  prediction  of  the  fulfilment  of  redemption 
through  the  Messiah.     This  prediction  is  not  confined  to 


PREDICTIVE  PROPHECY.  61 

official  prophets — it  is  not  limited  to  any  form  of  Old 
Testament  literature.  It  is  found  in  the  history  and  in 
the  poetry  as  well  as  in  the  prophetic  books.  It  is 
indeed  spread  all  over  the  literature  of  the  Bible  as  the 
thread  of  light  that  binds  its  writings  into  an  organism 
of  redemption. 

Messianic  prophecy  is  in  some  respects  not  an  adequate 
term,  for  we  do  not  limit  ourselves  to  those  predictions 
which  point  evidently  to  a  personal  Messiah.  The 
material  of  Messianic  prophecy  embraces  the  work  as 
well  as  the  person  of  the  Messiah ;  and  indeed  all  those 
benefits  that  result  to  the  kingdom  of  God  through  Him ; 
in  other  words,  everything  that  has  to  do  with  the  future 
redemption.  Hence  von  Orelli  prefers  the  term  "  com- 
pletion of  the  kingdom  of  God."  ^  But  the  kingdom  of 
God  is  in  some  respects  too  wide  a  term  and  in  other 
respects  too  narrow.  The  completion  of  redemption  is 
the  proper  idea  rather  than  the  completion  of  the  king- 
dom of  God.  But  inasmuch  as  this  completion  is 
accomplished  only  through  the  Messiah, — as  His  person  is 
the  central  theme  to  which  the  fulfilment  of  redemp- 
tion ever  points, — it  seems  better  to  embrace  Him  in  the 
definition  and  make  His  name  the  characteristic  one  in 
the  general  terminology.  This  we  do  sufficiently  well  if 
we  embrace  all  the  elements  under  the  term  Messianic 
prophecy  and  define  it  as  the  completion  of  redemption 
through  the  Messiah. 

We  have  then  to  determine  the  relation  of  the  com- 
pletion of  redemption  through  the  Messiah  to  the  general 
doctrine  of  redemption  in  Hebrew  prophecy.  The 
doctrines  of  Hebrew  prophecy  may  be  embraced  under 
the  three  divisions :  God,  Man,  and  Eedemption.  The 
doctrine  of  redemption  may  be  presented — (1)  As  a  pre- 

^  C.  von  Orelli,  The  Old  Testament  Prophecy  of  the  Consummation 
of  GocPs  Kingdom  traced  in  its  Historical  Development,  Edin.  1885. 


62  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

sent  possession  of  the  people  of  God ;  (2)  as  an  acquisi- 
tion in  a  future  state ;  (3)  as  completed  in  the  times  of 
the  Messiah.  The  first  is  the  doctrine  of  redemption 
proper,  the  second  is  the  doctrine  of  the  future  state,  the 
third  is  Messianic  prophecy.  Indeed  the  three  develop 
necessarily  out  of  the  prophetic  doctrine  of  redemption. 

The  Biblical  doctrine  of  redemption  as  a  divine  revela- 
tion has  the  characteristic  of  completeness.  It  is  ever 
unfolding  to  perfection.  It  contains  in  its  earliest  state- 
ments the  whole  doctrine  of  redemption  in  germ.  It 
comprehends  at  once  the  past,  the  present  and  the  future. 
It  covers  this  life,  the  coming  life  in  this  world  and  the 
future  life  beyond  the  grave.  It  is  essentially  progressive 
redemption.  The  present  redemption  kindles  the  hope  of 
a  more  complete  redemption  in  the  future.  As  the  past 
leads  on  to  the  present,  so  the  present  advances  into  the 
future,  and  the  attention  is  fixed  upon  the  ultimate  goal 
of  glory. 

To  the  individual  and  the  succeeding  generation  this 
must  be  beyond  the  gateway  of  death ;  but  to  the 
chosen  people  as  a  people,  and  to  the  race  of  man  which 
is  conceived  as  an  everlasting  unit,  there  is  a  steady  and 
constant  advance  to  the  Messianic  goal.  Hebrew  pre- 
dictive prophecy,  in  its  view  of  redemption  in  the  future, 
springs  from  past  and  present  experience  of  redemption. 
The  Old  Testament  redemption  advances  in  a  long  line 
of  historic  and  predictive  succession  towards  the  New 
Testament  redemption,  and  the  New  Testament  redemption 
marches  onward  towards  the  redemption  of  the  Messianic 
end,  and  in  this  end  it  is  the  privilege  of  the  living  and 
the  departed  alike  to  share.  Thus  the  two  systems  of 
present  advancing  redemption  and  future  completed 
redemption  are  related  as  substance  and  shadow,  as  type 
and  antitype,  as  the  building  in  course  of  erection  to  the 
finished    building,   as    the    elementary   and    preparatory 


A 


PREDICTIVE  PKOPHECY.  63 

studies  to  the  perfected  wisdom.  In  the  redemptive 
system  of  the  Old  Testament  we  see  the  unfolding  germ 
whose  flower  and  fruit  appear  under  the  New  Covenant. 
The  child  Israel  is  trained  by  the  pedagogy  of  prophecy 
for  the  manhood  of  Messianic  times.  The  redemption 
of  the  Law  and  the  Prophets  is  realized  in  Him  who  came 
to  fulfil  the  Law  and  the  Prophets.  And  thus  the 
Messianic  prophecy  of  the  Old  Testament  may  be  re- 
garded as  the  New  Testament  in  the  Old — the  ever 
living  and  developing  ideal  which  inspired  the  faith, 
hope  and  love  of  the  Old  Testament  saints,  and  gave 
their  elementary  redemption  its  sole  efficacy  and  grace. 
And  so  with  still  greater  intensity  of  meaning  the  New 
Testament  Messianic  idea  has  as  its  mission  the  edifi- 
cation of  the  Church  of  Christ  and  its  preparation  for 
the  grander  and  ultimate  glories  of  the  perfect  redemption 
of  the  second  advent  and  the  end  of  the  world. 


VI.  THE  FULFILMENT  OF  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

*  §  2  7.  Messianic  jprophecy  is  an  advancing  organism 
expressing  in  ever  richer  and  fuller  representations  the 
ideal  of  complete  redemption  through  the  Messiah.  History 
advances  with  prophecy  toward  the  samx  goal,  hut  prediction 
points  the  way.  History  constantly  approximates  to  the 
Messianic  ideal.  It  seems  to  fulfil  the  prediction  as  it 
advances,  and  to  give  ground  for  the  theory  of  a  douhle 
sense  or  a  progressive  fulfilment;  hut  this  is  only  the 
preparation  of  history  for  the  real  fulfilment  which  awaits 
it  at  the  end  of  the  course  in  the  Messiah  of  history,  the 
suffering,  reigning  and  glorified  Redeemer. 

The  essential  ideal  of  Messianic  prophecy  determines 
the  principles  by  which  it  is  to  be  interpreted.  It  is 
the  highest  and  the  essential  phase  of  predictive  prophecy. 
It  is  yet  an  ideal  in  constant  development.     There  is  no 


64  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

section  of  Biblical  doctrine  which  has  been  so  little 
understood  and  so  much  abused  as  Messianic  prophecy. 
The  Scholastics  have  interpreted  the  Messianic  passages 
in  accordance  with  the  Christian  doctrine  of  the  person 
and  work  of  Christ,  from  the  point  of  view  of  a  logical 
system  of  theology  derived  from  the  Bible,  and  they  have 
ignored  the  organic  system  of  Messianic  prophecy  in  the 
^  Bible  itself.  They  have  overlooked  the  stages  of  develop- 
v  ment  of  the  Messianic  idea.  They  have  neglected  its 
varied  phases.  They  have  seen  neither  the  unity  nor 
the  variety  of  the  organism.  They  have  sought  above 
all  things  an  Old  Testament  Christology.  On  the  other 
hand,  Kationalists  have  ignored  the  ideal  element,  and,  in 
limiting  the  Messianic  prediction  to  the  local,  temporal 
and  circumstantial  elements,  determine  the  substance  of 
the  prediction  by  its  external  form,  seeking  in  every- 
way to  exclude  references  to  the  Messiah  and  the 
redemption  brought  to  the  world  through  Him.  If  pre- 
dictive prophecy  in  general  can  be  interpreted  only  by 
finding  the  key,  much  more  is  this  the  case  with 
Messianic  prophecy,  the  culmination  of  predictive  pro- 
phecy. For  this  we  need  the  Master's  key — that  will 
unlock  the  mysteries  of  each  prediction,  and  pass  us 
through  the  entire  system  of  predictions.  We  hesitate 
not  therefore  to  state  that  the  key  of  Old  Testament 
prophecy  is  the  first  advent  of  the  Messiah  which 
unlocks  a  large  number  of  its  chambers.  Bat  the  key 
of  the  entire  system  will  not  be  given  until  the  second 
advent.  But  this  does  not  justify  us  in  forcing  New 
Testament  meaning  into  Old  Testament  passages.  If  the 
Messiah  gives  us  the  key,  He  does  not  transform  the 
predictions  into  histories.  It  is  still  necessary  for  us 
to  see  the  connection  between  the  Messiah  as  the  central 
object  of  the  prediction  and  the  mind  of  the  predicting 
prophet  and    tlie   stage   of    redemption    present    to    his 


PREDICTIVE  PROPHECY.  65 

experience.  There  is  but  one  legitimate  method  for  the 
interpretation  of  Messianic  prophecy,  and  that  is,  (1) 
to  study  each  prediction  by  itself  with  the  most  patient 
criticism  and  painstaking  exegesis  in  all  the  details ;  (2) 
to  study  it  in  relation  to  other  predictions  in  the  series 
and  note  the  organic  connection ;  (3)  to  study  it  in  rela- 
tion to  Christ  and  His  redemption.  Such  a  method  will 
discern  that  Messianic  prophecy  of  the  Old  Testament 
is  an  organic  whole — an  advancing  organism  culminating 
in  the  Christ  of  the  incarnation,  of  the  cross  and  of  the 
throne. 

This    enables  us  to    test   the    theory   of    the    double 
sense.      There  is  no  double  sense  to  Hebrew  prediction. 
The   prediction    has  but  one    sense.     But  inasmuch  as 
the  prediction  advances  from  the  temporal  redemption  of 
its    circumstances    to    tbo    eternal    redemption    of    the 
Messiah,  and   it    is  part  of  a  system  of  predictions  in 
which    the    experience   of  redemption    is    advancing,  it 
cannot  be  otherwise  than  that  some  of  the  elements  of 
the  predicted  redemption  should  be  realized  in  historical 
experience   ere  the   essential   element   of  the  Messianic 
redemption  is   attained.     This  has  induced  some   inter- 
preters   to    speak   of    a   successive    fulfilment,  or    of    a 
fulfilment  in  gradual  approximation  to  the  end.     This 
is  not   a  true   representation  of    the   facts  of  the   case. 
There  is    but    one    fulfilment   in   the   Messianic    times. 
But  all  history  is    preparing    the   way   and    advancing 
toward  that  fulfilment.     As  prediction  is  rising  in  suc- 
cessive stages  to  higher  and  broader  and  more  extensive 
views  of  the   Messianic  redemption,  the   history  of  re- 
demption is   advancing   with  it  towards  the  same  end. 
Thus  we  ought  to  expect  that  the  Messianic  ideal  should 
be  realized  in  some  of  its  phases  ere  the  ideal  itself  is 
attained,    and    that    the    later    predictions    should  base 
themselves  on  these  partial  realizations.     But  we  should 


66  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

not  be  willing  to  acknowledge  that  the  predictions  find 
their  fulfilment  in  these  historic  and  predictive  approxi- 
mations. The  Messianic  ideal  is  the  one  essential  thing 
to  be  determined  in  its  relation  to  the  Messianic  end. 

The  Messianic  idea,  in  its  historic  development,  will 
separate  itself  more  and  more  from  the  temporal,  the 
local  and  the  circumstantial,  in  order  to  rise  to  greater 
heights.  We  shall  take  care  therefore  in  tracing  its 
development  to  note  this  gradual  differentiation,  and  to 
observe  at  the  same  time  the  historic  process  of  redemp- 
tion in  its  preparation  for  and  advance  toward  this  ideal, 
which,  like  the  city  of  God  and  the  enthroned  Eedeemer, 
ever  rises  in  greater  glory  before  it. 


CHAPTEE  III. 

PRIMITIVE  MESSIANIC  IDEAS. 

There  are  several  Messianic  prophecies  in  the  Penta- 
teuch,— that  unique  collection  of  material  relating  to  the 
origin  of  Israel  and  mankind.  These  prophecies  are 
separated  by  wide  intervals  of  time, — they  mark  the 
great  epochs  of  the  world  from  the  origin  of  our  race 
until  the  settlement  of  Israel  in  the  land  of  Canaan. 

These  prophecies  are  contained  chiefly  in  ancient 
pieces  of  poetry,  which  the  several  authors  of  the  narra- 
tives of  the  Pentateuch  inserted  in  their  histories.  They 
received  their  present  order  from  the  hands  of  an  inspired 
editor,  who  combined  these  ancient  stories  into  a  match- 
less organism  to  constitute  for  all  time  the  fundamental 
divine  Word  to  mankind.-^ 

^  The  analysis  of  the  Pentateuch  into  four  distinct  narratives, 
with  their  distinct  codes  of  legislation,  is  the  result  of  a  century  of 
study  by  the  most  famous  critics  of  the  age.  There  are  slight 
differences  of  opinion  in  the  analysis  at  some  points  ;  but  these  are 
chiefly  at  the  seams  which  bind  the  narratives  together,  and  are 
due  to  the  editor's  work,  who  in  his  efforts  to  make  the  entire  com- 
position as  harmonious  and  symmetrical  as  possible,  sometimes 
obscured  the  signs  of  difference.  But  the  concord  of  critics  in  the 
work  of  analysis  as  a  whole  is  wonderful,  in  view  of  the  difficulties 
that  beset  the  work  of  higher  criticism.  The  few  objectors  among 
Hebrew  scholars  display  their  own  unfamiliarity  with  the  practical 
work  of  criticism,  when  they  overlook  these  solid  results  and  point 
to  the  difficulties  as  evidences  that  the  problem  has  not  been  solved. 
The  differences  of  opinion  among  practical  critics,  and  the  difficulties 
in  the  analysis,  are  where  they  ought  to  be  from  the  very  nature  of 
the  case.  Instead  of  disproving  the  work  of  criticism,  they  are 
therefore  an  indirect  evidence  of  its  correctness.  The  differences 
and  difficulties  disappear  one  after  another  as  the  investigation 

67 


68  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

The  priestly  narrator,  in  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis, 
gives  an  ancient  poem  of  the  creation/  In  the  sixth 
strophe  we  have  a  description  of  the  endowment  of  man- 
kind as  the  last,  the  highest  and  the  best  of  the  host  of 
God. 

§  28.  Mankind  was  created  in  the  divine  image,  and 
endoived  with  dominion  over  the  creatures.  His  destiny 
was  to  assume  sovereigntij,  and  take  possession  of  the  earth 
ty  a  numerous  ^posterity, 

"And  God  said,  Let  us  make  mankind  in  our  image  and  according 

to  our  figure, 
That  they  may  have  dominion  over  the  fish  of  the  sea  and  the  birds 

of  heaven  and  the  cattle. 
And  over  all  the  earth,  and  over  all  that  creep  upon  the  earth. 
And  God  created  mankind  in  his  image, 
In  the  image  of  God  he  created  him, 
Male  and  female  he  created  them. 


advances.  The  evidences  for  the  analysis  into  four  narratives  are — 
(1)  Differences  in  use  of  words  and  phrases  ;  (2)  differences  in  style 
and  methods  of  composition  ;  (3)  differences  in  point  of  view  and 
representations  of  religious  institutions,  doctrines  and  morals.  We 
have  given  this  latter  subject  a  thorough  investigation.  We  have  by 
careful  induction  gathered  the  theology  of  each  of  the  documents 
by  itself  and  then  compared  them,  and  have  found  such  a  thorough- 
going difference,  that  it  is  simply  impossible  that  they  should  have 
come  from  the  same  original  author.  We  hope  at  some  future  time 
to  present  the  theology  of  the  Pentateuch  to  the  public.  In  the 
meanwhile  we  refer  to  Dillmann,  Genesis,  4th  Aufi.  1882  ;  Reuss, 
Gesch.  der  Heiligea  Schriften  A.  T.  1881  ;  Kuenen,  Hist.  crit.  Onder- 
zoek,  i.  1885 ;  Wellhausen,  Die  Composition  des  Hexateuchs,  in  hia 
Shizzen  u.  Vorarbeiten,  ii.  1885;  also  my  "Critical  Study  of  the 
History  of  the  Higher  Criticism,"  Presbyterian  Review,  1883,  p.  69  seq. 

Scholars  are  not  agreed  in  the  names  that  they  give  to  the  four 
documents.  The  priestly  narrator  is  the  Q.  of  Wellhausen,  the  A. 
or  first  Elohist  of  Dillmann.  The  jjrophetic  narrator  is  the  Jahvist. 
The  theocratic  narrator  is  the  second  Elohist.  The  Deuteronomist 
is  agreed  to  by  all. 

^  See  my  article  on  "  The  Poem  of  the  Creation,"  in  the  Old 
Testament  StvdeMy  April  1884. 


PRIMITIVE  MESSIANIC  IDEAS.  69 

And  God  blessed  them  and  said  unto  them, 

Be  fruitful  and  multiply,  and  fill  the  earth  and  subdue  it, 

And  have  dominion  over  the  fish  of  the  sea  and  the  birds  of  heaven, 

And  over  all  the  animals  which  creep  upon  the  earth. 

And  God  said,  Lo  I  I  do  give  you  all  herbage, 

The  seed  scatterer  which  is  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 

And  all  the  trees  in  which  is  the  fruit  of  the  tree  scattering  seed ; 

For  you  shall  it  become  food,  and  for  all  the  animals  of  the  earth. 

And  for  all  the  birds  of  the  heaven,  and  for  everything  creeping 

upon  the  earth. 
In  whatever  there  is  breath  of  life — all  the  greenness  of  herbage  I 

do  give  for  food. 
And  it  became  so  ;  and  God  saw  all  that  he  had  made,  and  it  was 

very  excellent."  —Gen.  i.  26-30. 

The  poet  represents  that  mankind  was  endowed  with 
the  image  and  figure  of  the  heavenly  intelligences  with 
whom  God  consulted  in  making  our  race.^  That  image 
is  the  essential  form,  the  mode  of  manifestation  of 
heavenly  beings.  It  is  not  merely  physical,  it  is  not 
merely  moral,  it  is  the  form  in  which  the  essential  nature 
manifests  itself,  the  inner  form,  the  mode  of  being  which 
distinguishes  man  and  his  archetypes  from  all  other 
beings, — that  form  which  shapes  the  physical  in  the 
world  of  sense  into  the  graceful  and  majestic  body  which 
distinguishes  man  from  all  other  creatures,  and  which  in 

1  The  plurals  n^V^  and  ^3Di^^  are  referred  by  the  older  inter- 
preters to  the  Trinity;  but  this  overlooks  the  several  stages  in  the 
divine  revelation.  The  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  is  a  Christian  doctrine, 
and  it  was  first  revealed  in  the  New  Testament.  Some  have  thought 
of  a  co-operation  of  God  and  nature  in  the  production  of  man,  but 
this  is  against  the  usage  of  the  poem,  which  represents  God  as  com- 
manding His  host,  and  nature  as  obedient  to  His  commands.  Dill- 
mann  and  Orelli  explain  the  jjlural  of  the  verb  and  suffix  after  the 
analogy  of  the  emphatic  plural  of  the  noun,  so  that  God  speaks  out 
of  the  fulness  of  His  own  being.  But  such  a  usage  of  the  verb  and 
suffix  is  elsewhere  unknown.  It  is  best  to  think  of  God  as  associat- 
ing with  Himself,  in  the  creation  of  man,  the  heavenly  intelligences 
whose  form,  as  well  as  that  of  God  Himself,  man  shares.  This  is 
the  view  of  Philo,  Targum  Jonathan,  Easchi,  Aben  Ezra,  G  abler 
and  Delitzsch,  and  is  in  accordance  with  Ps.  viii.  6,  which  is  based 
on  our  passage.     (See  §  49  of  this  volume.) 


70  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

the  spirit  world  is  the  mode  of  manifestation  by  which 
individuals  are  distinguished  from  one  another  and 
recognise  one  another.  The  image  of  God  with  which 
man  is  endowed  covers  his  entire  nature — it  is  the  form 
of  his  essential  being.^  In  this  image  of  God  the  destiny 
of  man  is  involved.  This  is  presented  in  our  poem  as 
having  dominion  over  the  other  creatures  of  God,  the 
earth  itself,  and  the  animal  and  vegetable  species  upon  it. 
This  dominion  is  to  be  obtained  not  by  an  individual 
man,  or  a  pair,  but  by  a  human  race.  Man  was  created 
in  sexes,  was  blessed  with  fruitfulness,  and  commanded 
to  fill  the  earth  and  subdue  it.  All  things  without 
restriction  were  given  into  his  hands — all  animals  and 
the  entire  vegetable  world.  The  entire  earth  and  its 
wealth  are  to  be  subdued  by  his  godlike  majesty  and 
power.  Man  is  the  lord  of  nature.  He  is  very  excellent, 
and  all  things  that  are  given  by  the  Creator  into  his  care 
are  likewise  very  excellent  as  an  organized  host  of  God. 
There  were  no  sin  and  no  evil.  Man  was  supreme  over 
all,  and  his  destiny  was  to  assert  his  supremacy  over  all 

^  n?)i  and  niD*l  are  synonymous.  They  both  refer  to  the  form 
or  figure  of  man,  and  not  to  the  pictorial  Kkeness.  Some  theologians 
refer  the  form  to  the  higher  nature  of  man.  But  there  is  nothing 
in  the  text  or  context  to  suggest  such  an  interpretation.  The  con- 
text m-ges  us  to  think  of  the  entire  man  as  distinguished  from  the 
lower  forms  of  creation, — that  which  is  essential  to  man  and  may  be 
communicated  by  descent  to  his  seed.  The  bodily  form  cannot  be 
excluded  from  the  representation.  Indeed  it  is  this  form  which  is 
assumed  by  angels  and  the  theophanic  Malakh  and  the  Son  of  God 
Himself.  The  bodily  form  is  only  the  physical  expression  of  a 
spiritual  form  which  continues  with  man  in  Sheol  after  death,  in 
which  also  God  reveals  Himself  to  disembodied  spirits  in  the  future 
life  (Ps.  xvii.  15).  This  form  is  indeed  the  mode  of  expression  of 
the  heavenly  intelligences  in  their  relations  to  each  other.  It  involves 
all  the  higher  endowments  of  man,  his  reason,  conscience,  intelli- 
gence, power  of  speech,  all  by  which,  as  a  higher  being,  he  acts  in 
the  world  of  spirits  and  tlie  world  of  matter.  Physical  matter  is 
not  the  form  of  man,  it  is  shaped  and  used  by  the  form,  which 
is  essentially  spiritual,  and  it  disappears  with  the  decay  of  tht 
material  substance. 


PRIMITIVE  MESSIANIC  IDEAS.  71 

the  earth.  This  is  conceived  as  a  task  before  him  to  be 
accomplished  only  through  a  numerous  posterity.  It  is 
through  the  multiplication  of  the  children  of  men  that 
the  earth  is  to  be  subdued  and  the  sovereignty  of  man- 
kind accomplished.  This  is  not  the  reduction  to  sub- 
mission of  a  series  of  hostile  provinces  and  rebellious 
creatures  ;  but  the  gradual  taking  possession  of  a  king- 
dom given  to  mankind  by  God,  and  which  he  assumes  in 
province  after  provmce  of  his  vast  domain  by  divine 
right. 

This  blessing  and  original  endowment  of  mankind  is 
not  specifically  a  Messianic  prophecy,  and  yet  it  is  the 
condition  and  framework  of  all  prophecy,  for  it  is  the 
divine  plan  for  mankind — the  divinely  -  appointed  goal 
of  his  history. 

I.  THE  PROTEVANGELIUM. 

§  29.  The  protevangelmm  is  a  divine  blessing  wrapt  in 
Judgments.  It  predicts  the  ultimate  victory  of  the  seed  of 
the  woman  over  the  serpent,  after  a  conflict  in  which  both 
parties  will  he  wounded. 

Messianic  prophecy  begins  with  the  dawn  of  human 
history.  The  history  of  mankind  opens  with  a  sublime 
tragedy — the  original  sin  of  our  first  parents,  and  their 
expulsion  from  the  garden  in  Eden.  They  bear  with 
them  from  Paradise  the  Magna  Charta  of  human  history ; 
they  enter  into  the  world  to  engage  in  a  life -long 
struggle  whose  issue  is  death  and  victory.  From  their 
Creator's  hands  they  received  the  protevangelium,  the 
glad  tidings  of  redemption.  It  was  wrapt  about  with 
curses  and  sorrows ;  thereby  they  recognise  God  as  their 
Eedeemer.  The  protevangelium  is  contained  in  the  poem 
of  the  Fall  of  Mankind,  with  which  the  prophetic 
narrator  begins  his  story.     The  human  pair   had  been 


72  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

formed  by  the  hands  of  God,  and  the  breath  of  His 
nostrils  had  imparted  to  them  life  and  inteUigence. 
God  entered  into  the  sphere  of  his  own  creation  in 
theophany,  in  order  to  endow  mankiad  with  godlike 
faculties  and  train  them  in  their  exercise.  The  garden, 
with  its  trees  and  animals,  was  for  the  education  of  our 
race.  There  can  be  no  religious  training  without  trial. 
The  temptation  was  necessary  for  the  ethical  culture  of 
Adam  and  Eve.  The  tree  of  life  and  the  tree  of  death 
set  before  them  in  simple,  graphic  and  impressive  forms 
the  good  and  the  evil.  The  enjoyment  of  the  permissible 
good  gave  them  an  increasing  experimental  knowledge 
of  the  good.  The  abstinence  from  the  prohibited  e\al 
gave  them  an  increasing  theoretic  knowledge  of  the 
evil ;  and  thus  the  discrimination  between  the  good  and 
the  evil  became  sharper  as  they  advanced  in  ethical 
culture.  The  trees  had  accomplished  their  purpose,  the 
time  had  come  for  a  higher  temptation,  the  animal 
tempter  is  added  to  the  tree.  An  evil  spirit  assumes 
the  form  of  the  serpent,  and  tempts  the  woman  to  trans- 
gression. 

The  serpent  is  evidently  something  more  than  the 
animal  serpent.  There  is  intelligence,  conception,  speech, 
and  knowledge  higher  than  that  of  the  man  or  the 
woman.  The  woman  knew  that  she  had  to  deal,  not 
with  a  mere  serpent,  one  of  the  animals  under  her 
dominion,  but  with  a  higher  power,  a  spiritual  intelli- 
gence, who  had  entered  the  garden  in  hostihty  to  her 
Creator,  with  the  avowed  purpose  of  delivering  man  from 
bondage.  As  the  Creator  assumed  human  form  in  order 
to  the  creation  and  trainmg  of  the  human  pair  in  the 
garden  of  Eden,  so  now  a  hostile  spirit  assumed  the  form 
of  the  serpent  in  order  to  deceive  and  ruin  them.  Tliere 
is  nothing  in  this  primitive  poem  to  indicate  that  the 
author   attributed   to   the   animals    of    Eden   powers    of 


TRIMITIVE  MESSIANIC  IDEAS.  73 

reasoning  and  speech.  The  author  would  rather,  by 
attributing  the  naming  of  animals  to  man,  and  by- 
showing  that  man  could  find  no  companion  among 
them,  imply  that  the  powers  of  reasoning  and  speech 
were  endowments  of  man  which  the  animals  did  not 
possess. 

The  tempter  assails  all  the  avenues  of  human  nature. 
The  woman's  physical  appetite  is  excited  by  the  fruit  of 
the  tree ;  her  sesthetic  sense  is  attracted  by  its  beauty ; 
her  intellectual  powers  are  stimulated  by  the  promise  of 
godlike  knowledge ;  she  ought  to  have  resisted  and  to 
have  overcome  this  temptation,  and  thereby  advanced  to 
a  higher  state  of  godlikeness  in  the  possession  and 
enjoyment  of  the  good ;  but  she  was  seduced  and  she 
was  overpowered  ;  she  yielded  and  she  fell.  She  seduced 
her  husband  and  he  fell  with  her.  The  human  pair  fell 
from  godlikeness  and  became  like  evil  spirits.  But  there 
was  a  difference  between  the  tempter  and  his  victims, 
and  in  that  difference  there  was  the  possibility  of  redemp- 
tion. There  was  a  threefold  gradation  in  guilt  and  a 
threefold  gradation  in  punishment.  For  the  evil  spirit, 
the  tempter,  there  was  no  excuse.  He  was  altogether  a 
tempter  and  blasphemer.  The  woman  was  tempted, 
and  sinned,  and  became  a  tempter.  The  man  was 
tempted  and  transgressed.  God  appears  in  theophany 
as  Judge  and  as  Eedeemer.  He  presents  our  race 
with  the  protevangelium  wrapt  in  the  severe  sentences 
of  judgment  pronounced  upon  the  three  transgressors. 
Herein  is  the  germ  of  promise  which  unfolds  in  the 
history  of  redemption.  Out  of  the  despair  of  the  first 
fall,  in  the  experience  of  the  first  sin  and  shame,  sorrow 
and  pain,  the  heart  of  man  rebounds  with  hope  into  the 
future  which  was  opened  by  the  divine  prediction.  It 
was  the  voice  of  the  theophanic  God  which  said  unto 
the  serpent — 


74  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

"  Because  thou  hast  done  this,  cursed  be  thou, 
Away  from  all  beasts  and  from  all  animals  of  the  field ; 
Upon  thy  belly  shalt  thou  go, 
And  dust  shalt  thou  eat  all  the  days  of  thy  life. 
And  enmity  will  I  put  between  thee  and  the  woman, 
And  between  thy  seed  and  her  seed  ; 
lie  shall  bruise  thee  on  the  head, 
And  thou  shalt  bruise  him  on  the  heel."  * 

— Gen.  iii.  14,  15. 

The  animal  serpent  is  degraded  from  the  position  to 
which  he  was  entitled  by  his  grace  and  beauty  and  his 
intelligence,  and  reduced  to  a  wretched  condition  as  a 
fugitive  from  the  presence  of  man  and  animals,  con- 
demned to  hide  from  them  and  flee  from  their  j)resence 
and  their  wrath.^ 

The  strophe  rises  to  the  punishment  of  the  evil  spirit, 
which  used  the  animal  as  his  instrument.  There  is  a 
prediction  of  a  perpetual  enmity  not  only  between  the 
woman  and  the  serpent,  but  between  the  entire  race 
and  descendants  of  the  woman  and  the  serpent.  This 
enmity  involves  a  perpetual  conflict,  in  which  injury  is 
wrought  on  both  sides.  The  wounds  inflicted  by  the 
serpent  are  in  secret  and  in  treachery,  behiod  the  back 
of  man  and  beneath  his  heel.  But  the  wounds  inflicted 
by  man  upon  the  serpent  are  openly  upon  his  head, 
crushing  him  to  death  in  the  dust. 

The  term  seed  is  a  generic  term  for  the  entire  race  of 

1  See  my  article,  "  The  Poem  of  the  Fall  of  Mankind,"  in  the 
Refonmd  Quarterly  Review^  April  1866. 

^  li^n  "l^rij  by  is  thought  by  Keil  and  Delitzsch,  after  the  older 
interpreters,  to  imply  that  the  form  of  the  serpent  was  changed  ; 
that  previously  he  had  walked  in  the  garden  among  the  other 
animals,  and  now  for  the  first  was  condemned  to  crawl  in  the  dust. 
The  phrase  isy  b^^s  has  also  been  interpreted  to  the  effect  that  the 
serpent's  food  was  the  dust.  But  eating  the  dust  is  similar  to  the 
])hrase  biting  the  dust,  and  ini})lies  nothing  more  thiin  hving  in 
the  dust  of  the  ground.  The  curse  denounces  a  change  of  condition 
rather  than  of  form. 


PEIMITIVE  MESSIANIC  IDEAS.  75 

descendants  of  the  woman  on  the  one  hand  and  the 
serjDent  on  the  other.  The  seed  of  the  serpent  embraces 
all  the  evil  race  derived  from  him.  This  prediction 
points  not  merely  to  the  whole  family  of  snakes,  but  to 
the  serpents  of  the  higher  world,  the  evil  spirits,  and  to 
the  serpents  among  mankind,  the  evil  men,  and  seducers, 
called  by  Jesus  the  children  of  the  devil,^  indeed  all  the 
forces  of  evil  which  array  themselves  against  the  children 
of  God.  The  seed  of  the  woman  embraces  the  human 
race  as  such,  that  is,  all  who  take  part  in  the  conflicts  of 
the  race  with  the  forces  of  evil.  There  are  those  who 
by  birthright  belong  to  the  seed  of  the  woman  who 
become  by  apostasy  the  children  of  the  serpent.  There 
are  also  those  who  are  won  as  trophies  of  grace  from  the 
seed  of  the  serpent  and  are  adopted  into  the  seed  of 
redemption.  These  two  great  forces  are  in  conflict 
throughout  history. 

This  enmity  and  conflict  are  to  result  in  an  eventual 
and  final  victory  of  man  over  the  serpent.  It  is  some- 
thing more  than  a  mere  dislike  and  hostility  to  snakes ; 
it  is  a  conflict  in  which  man  is  to  bear  a  brave  and 
hazardous  part ;  and  the  victory  is  one  which  is  to  over- 
come the  vast  injury  wrought  by  the  serpent  in  the 
temptation  and  fall  of  man.  It  is  a  victory  which  is  a 
redemption  from  evil  and  sin,  as  the  fall  was  a  fall  into 
sin  and  evil.  We  have  then  a  blessing  to  the  human 
race  involved  in  this  curse  of  the  serpent ;  a  promise  of 
redemption  to  be  accomplished  not  by  the  woman,  but  by 
her  seed.  Her  seed  is  the  entire  race  of  her  descendants. 
But  inasmuch  as  the  serpent  is  represented  as  bruising 
the  heel  of  the  man,  and  is  distinguished  from  his  seed  in 
God's  direct  address  to  him  as  thou,  and  the  original 
tempter  himself  is  thus  to  be  the  finally  crushed  and 
conquered  foe,  it  seems  to  be  necessary  to  think  of  the 
1  John  viii.  44. 


76  MESSIANIC  PKOPHECY. 

seed  of  the  woman  as  culminating  in  an  individual  victor 
who  is  to  be  the  champion  of  his  race  and  gain  the  final 
victory  over  the  serpent.^  This  last  conflict  is  to  be  a 
conflict  in  wdiich  there  will  be  no  more  deception  of  the 
woman ;  but  the  son  of  the  woman,  a  second  Adam,  will 
avenge  his  mother's  shame  and  his  father's  dishonour,  and 
retrieve  the  fortunes  of  his  race  by  transforming  death 
into  victory.^ 

Thus  we  have  in  tliis  fundamental  prophecy  explicitly 
a  struggling,  suffering,  but  finally  victorious  human  race, 

^  The  unity  of  the  seed  is  maintained  in  the  demonstrative  i<in  and 
the  suffix  1J-.  The  individuality  of  the  serpent  is  also  emphasized  in 
the  final  conflict  by  the  nnSj  which  shows  that  the  serpent  of  the 
temptation  and  the  serpent  of  the  final  conflict  are  the  same 
individual.  The  nn5<  is  contrasted  with  the  t^in,  and  as  the  nns  is 
discriminated  from  the  seed  of  the  serpent,  so  we  must  see  in  the 
final  conflict  an  individual  son  of  man  arising  out  of  the  seed  of 
the  woman  to  become  the  serpent  bruiser.  The  Roman  Catholic 
reference  of  j^in  to  the  Virgin  Mary  is  supported  by  the  neglect  to 
distinguish  between  the  masculine  and  feminine  of  the  demonstrative. 
It  is  also  favoured  Ijy  the  contrast  between  the  serpent  and  the  woman 
wliich  runs  through  the  stro])he.  But  the  sufhx  1J~  cannot  be 
feminine,  and  the  reference  to  the  woman  would  require  the  re- 
appearance of  Eve  in  order  to  the  final  victory,  and  not  a  second  Eve, 
one  of  her  descendants.  Eve  is  punished  by  the  sorrows  of  child- 
birth. In  child-birth  is  her  hope  of  redemption.  The  Redeemer  is 
to  be  born  of  the  woman,  ;ind  to  lead  His  race  to  the  ultimate  victor3^ 

2  There  is  some  difficulty  in  the  verb  C)1C^,  which  occurs  but  thrice 
in  the  Old  Testament.  But  in  Ps.  cxxxix.  11  the  best  critics  correct 
the  text  to  ''jnit^'\  so  that  we  have  but  one  passage  (Job  ix.  7)  to 
bring  into  comi)arison.  The  parallelism  of  Job  ix.  7  urges  the  mean- 
ing, crush  or  bruise  ;  and  that  is  best  suited  to  our  passage.  The 
Syr.,  Vulgate,  Arab.,  Targum  of  Jonathan  and  Samaritan  Targum 
favour  this.  But  the  LXX.  and  the  Targum  of  Onkelos  favour  the 
meaning,  watch,  guard  ;  and  these  latter  are  followed  by  Gesenius 
and  Dillmann.  The  weight  of  authority  is  in  favour  of  wound.  The 
wound  on  the  head  is  a  crushing,  a  mortal  wound  ;  a  trampling  under 
foot,  a  victory.  The  wound  on  the  heel  might  also  be  regarded  as 
moital,  if  we  think  of  the  venom  of  the  serpent's  sting.  But  this  is 
inapju'ojjriate  to  the  Messianic  idea.  There  is  a  contrast  between 
head  and  heel  which  suggests  a  contrast  between  a  crushing  defeat 
and  a  slight  injury  to  the  victor.  If  any  one  shoidd  prefiir  to  think 
that  the  victory  is  gained  l)y  the  death  of  the  victor,  he  will  not 
cause  any  other  difHculty  to  the  Messianic  fulfilment  than  that  it 
seems  unlikely  that  the  first    rediction  should  be  so  precise. 


PRIMITIVE  MESSIANIC  IDEAS.  77 

and  implicitly  a  struggling,  suffering  and  finally  victorious 
son  of  the  woman,  a  second  Adam,  the  head  of  the  race. 
The  seed  of  the  woman  expands  through  the  ages  into  a 
race  of  multitudes  of  individuals,  but  in  that  expanding 
seed  there  is  a  central  nucleus  in  which  the  original  unity 
is  maintained.  In  the  fulness  of  time  this  gives  birth  to 
the  second  Adam,  the  Eedeemer.  The  protevangelium  is 
a  faithful  miniature  of  the  entire  history  of  humanity,  a 
struggling  seed  ever  battling  for  the  ultimate  victory. 
Here  is  the  germinal  idea  which  unfolds  in  the  sufferings 
and  sorrows,  the  hopes  and  joys  of  our  race  until  it  is 
realized  in  the  sublime  victories  of  redemption. 

The  protevangelium  is  the  only  Messianic  prophecy 
which  has  been  preserved  from  the  revelations  made  by 
God  to  the  antediluvian  world.  Centuries  roll  on 
without  any  further  light  on  the  future  redemption.  The 
sentences  of  judgment  realize  themselves  in  the  death  of 
our  first  parents  and  their  posterity.  The  sorrows  of 
woman  and  the  toils  of  man  come  upon  generation  after 
generation  of  mankind.  Sin  develops  in  the  descendants 
of  Adam  until  they  become  totally  corrupt  and  ripe  for 
the  judgment  which  comes  upon  them  in  the  great 
catastrophe  of  the  deluge,  blotting  them  out  from  the  face 
of  the  earth,  with  the  exception  of  a  single  family  which 
is  redeemed  in  the  ark  owing  to  the  righteousness  of  a 
single  man.  The  protevangelium  is  the  star  of  promise  in 
the  night  of  the  deluge,  but  there  was  no  sign  of  day- 
break. The  going  forth  from  the  ark  into  the  renovated 
earth  begins  a  new  era  of  mankind,  and  this  era  is  opened 
with  the  second  Messianic  prophecy. 

II.    THE  BLESSING  OF  SHEM. 

The  family  of  Noah  was  redeemed  in  the   ark  from 
the  judgment   of   the  deluge.     The   original  destiny   of 


78  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

mankind  to  subdue  the  earth  to  his  dominion,  and  the 
promise  of  the  protevangelium  that  the  seed  of  the  woman 
would  gain  the  victory  over  the  serpent,  were  the  inherit- 
ance of  Noah  pressing  on  to  realization  through  his 
children.  Immediately  on  going  forth  from  the  ark  to 
take  possession  of  the  renovated  earth,  he  expresses  his 
faith  and  gratitude  by  a  subhme  act  of  worship.  This 
is  described  in  that  ancient  poem  of  the  deluge  which  is 
preserved  in  the  story  of  the  prophetic  narrator. 

§  30.  Immediately  after  tlie  dehige  a  divine  2^ro7nise 
assures  tlie  posterity  of  Noah  of  the  stahility  of  the  earth, 
and  the  uniformity  of  the  seasons. 

And  Xoah  built  an  altar  to  Jaliveh, 

And  took  some  of  all  the  clean  beasts, 

And  some  of  all  the  clean  birds, 

And  offered  a  whole  burnt- offering  on  the  altar. 

And  when  Jahveh  smelled  the  odour  of  gratification,* 

Jahveh  said  to  his  very  soul, 

I  will  not  again  any  more  curse 

The  gi'ound  for  man's  sake, 

Though  the  structure  of  the  heart  of  man  be  evil  from  his  youth  ; 

And  I  will  not  again  any  more  smite 

All  living  things  as  I  have  done. 

During  all  the  days  of  the  earth. 

Seed-time  and  harvest,  and  cold  and  heat,  and  summer  and  winter, 

And  day  and  night  will  not  cease."  — Gen.  viii.  20-22. 

This  strophe  of  the  poem  of  the  deluge  contains  a 
sublime  promise  of  God,  which  though  not  strictly  a 
Messianic  promise,  yet  aflbrds  the  conditions  for  the 
further  development  of  the  Messianic  idea.  The  earth 
to  be  subdued  by  man  is  to  remain  essentially  the  same 
throughout  its  history.     The  regular  course  of  the  seasons 

^  nn'^J  n''")-  This  is  an  odour  or  scent  that  gives  gi'atification  or 
satisfaction  to  God.  It  is  the  odour  of  the  wliole  burnt-offering, 
■which  is  accepted  by  God  as  pleasing  and  gratifying  to  Him. 


PRIMITIVE  MESSIANIC  IDEAS.  VO 

will  continue  until  the  period  of  the  earth  is  completed. 
The  sin  of  mankind  is  recognised  as  a  factor  in  the 
conflict, — sin  not  only  in  the  tempter  and  the  outer 
world,  but  sin  which  is  in  the  very  structure  of  the 
innermost  man.  And  yet  no  great  catastrophe  will 
change  the  form  and  condition  of  the  earth  until  the 
destiny  of  man  has  been  accomplished. 

Sin  survived  the  deluge  and  soon  manifested  itself  in 
the  children  of  Noah.  An  act  of  sin  is  the  occasion  of 
the  second  great  Messianic  prophecy  which  opens  the 
second  epoch  of  the  world's  history. 

§  31.  In  the  prediction  of  Noah  the  curse  of  Canaan  is 
servitude,  while  Ham  and  his  other  sons  are  ominously 
'passed  hy.  The  Messing  of  Japhct  is  enlargement.  Tlie 
blessing  of  Shem  is  the  dwelling  of  God  in  his  tents. 

The  second  Messianic  prophecy,  like  the  first,  is  a 
blessing  which  springs  up  in  contrast  to  a  curse.  Sin 
and  shame  are  the  occasion  of  the  prediction.  The  sin 
is  agauist  the  second  father  of  our  race,  the  patriarch 
Noah.  The  shame  is  in  the  evil  conduct  of  his  youngest 
son  Ham.  The  sentence  and  the  blessing  are  pronounced 
not  directly  by  God,  but  by  the  patriarch,  who  in  the 
spirit  of  prophecy  speaks  not  only  his  own  determinations 
but  also  the  divine  decree.  The  blessing  and  the  curse 
give  a  fresh  glance  into  the  history  of  mankind, — a 
history  which  is  not  only  a  struggle  against  evil  spirits 
with  the  assurance  of  an  eventual  victory,  but  is  also  a 
struggle  between  three  great  races  of  mankind. 

There  are  three  parties  in  this  prediction  of  the 
patriarch.  There  are  again  three  degrees  of  virtue  and 
sin  represented  in  the  three  children.  The  sin  and 
shame  are  confined  to  one  son,  Ham,  but  the  virtue  of 
Japhet  is  transcended  by  the  piety  of  Shem.  These 
three  degrees  of  moral  character  in  the  three  children  of 


80  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

the  patriarch  receive  their  interpretation  in  the  history 
of  tlie  races  which  were  to  spring  from  them  and  people 
the  earth. 

"  He  said,  Cursed  be  Canaan  ; 
A  servant  of  servants  will  he  become  to  his  brethren. 
And  he  said,  Blessed  be  ^  the  God  of  Shem, 
And  let  Canaan  be  servant  to  him. 
May  God  spread  out  Japhet, 
And  may  He  dwell  in  the  tents  of  Shem, 
And  let  Canaan  be  servant  to  him."  — Gen.  ix.  26-27. 

The  aged  patriarch,  inspired  by  the  spirit  of  prophecy, 
reads  in  the  faces  and  souls  of  his  sons  the  lines  of 
passion  and  of  character  that  will  distinguish  the  races 
of  their  descendants  and  determine  their  history.  The 
shameful  conduct  of  Ham  in  dishonouring  his  aged  father 
was  an  index  of  the  sensual  nature  of  the  man  which 
would  perpetuate  itself  in  his  children  and  give  character 
to  his  race.  It  is  singular  that  the  glance  of  the  patriarch 
should  pass  over  the  guilty  Ham  to  the  grandson  Canaan. 
It  was  in  accordance  with  retributive  justice  that  Ham 
should  receive  in  his  own  experience  the  same  dishonour 
through  his  son  that  he  himself  had  been  guilty  of  to 
his  father  Noah.  It  was  also  to  sharpen  the  curse  by 
distinguishing  one  of  the  sons  of  Ham,  upon  whom  it 
would  pour  itself  out  to  the  full,  while  the  father  and 
his  other  sons  are  passed  by  in  ominous  silence.  The 
curse  of  Canaan  is  servitude  to  his  brethren — the  hard 
toil  of  mankind  is  intensified  in  the  sorrows  and  bitter- 
ness of  human  bondage. 

The  patriarch  turns  from  Ham  to  his  brothers.  He 
sees  in  their  respectful  conduct  in  hiding  their  father's 
nakedness  the  manly  reverence  and  virtue  of  their 
characters.     Shem,  the  first-born,  the  heir  of  his  father's 

1  The  prophetic  narrator  here  inserts  the  divine  name  Jahveh 
in  the  ancient  poem. 


PRIMITIVE  MESSIANIC  IDEAS.  81 


o 


religious  nature,  first  receives  the  blessing.  Eeflectin 
upon  all  that  God  had  done  for  him,  the  patriarch 
invokes  the  divine  blessing  upon  his  son.  The  first 
revulsion  of  feeling  recalls  the  shameful  conduct  of  his 
youngest  son,  and  the  curse  the  second  time  bursts  from 
his  lips — 

"  Let  Canaan  be  servant  to  him." 

The  soul  of  the  patriarch  now  expands  under  the 
inspiration  of  prophecy,  and  he  utters  the  full  and  final 
prediction  in  which  all  the  members  appear.  His  soul 
bounds  within  him  as  he  beholds  the  manly  virtue  of  his 
second  son,  and  taking  his  inspiration  from  his  name  he 
said :  ^  "  May  God  enlarge  Japhet,"  spread  him,  and  give 
him  a  large  place,  a  large  portion  for  his  inheritance. 
Then  turning  to  Shem,  he  continued,  and  "may  He 
(that  is,  God)  dwell  in  the  tents  of  Shem."  Let  God  be 
his  portion  and  his  inheritance.  May  God  grant  His 
presence  and  take  up  His  abode  with  him.  Once  more 
recurring  to  the  wicked  son,  the  curse  for  the  third  time 
came  forth — 

"  Let  Canaan  be  servant  to  him." 

Shem  is  the  central  figure  of  the  prophecy,  Canaan  its 
dark  background,  and  Japhet  its  distant  perspective. 
The  curse  of  Canaan  is  servitude,  while  Ham  and  his 
other  sons  are  ominously  passed  by.  This  corresponds 
with  his  nature,  which  was  sensual.  The  blessing  of 
Japhet  is  enlargement,  in  accordance  with  his  nature, 
which  was  ideal.  The  blessing  of  Shem  is  the  presence 
and  the  indwelling  of  God,  in  accordance  with  his 
character,  which  was  spiritual. 

Leaving  Canaan  and  Japhet,  we  shall  consider  more 
closely  the  blessing  of  Shem,  in  which  the  Messianic 
prophecy  is  contained. 

^  nSS  the  name,  and  naS  the  verb,  are  both  from  nDS. 


82  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

The  blessing  of  Shem  is  the  presence  and  indwelling 
of  God.^  The  Shemites  have  God  for  their  portion. 
The  divine  presence  is  ever  in  their  tents — they  are  the 
bearers  of  the  true  religion.  The  law  the  prophets  and 
Christianity  came  through  them.  Eeligious  contemplation 
is  the  chief  characteristic  of  the  face.  The  central 
idea  of  the  prophecy  is  the  advent  of  God  to  dwell  in 
the  tents  of  Shem ;  the  divine  advent  being  the  germ  of 
.a  Messianic  idea  at  the  opposite  pole  from  the  seed  of 
the  woman  of  the  protevangelium. 

In  the  former  prophecy  we  have  the  human  side  of 
Messianic  redemption  brought  out  in  the  victory  of  the 
seed  of  the  woman  over  the  serpent.  Here,  on  the  other 
hand,  we  have  the  divine  side  of  Messianic  redemption 
in  the  prediction  of  the  advent  of  God  as  a  blessing  in 
the    tents    of    Shem.      These    two    lines    of    Messianic 

^  Authorities  gi-eatly  differ  as  to  the  subject  of  pK».  The  Targum 
of  Onkelos,  Philo,  Maimoiiides,  Rashi,  Aben  Ezra,  Baumgarten, 
Delitzsch,  Couant,  Lewis,  et  al.,  take  wrh^  as  the  subject ;  but 
the  ancient  Fathers  and  Reformers  and  the  great  body  of  modern 
interpreters,  even  Dillmann,  regard  Japhet  as  the  subject.  It  is 
better  to  take  D\"1?5^  as  the  subject  for  the  following  reasons  : — (1) 
The  presumption  is  that  the  subject  of  the  previous  clause,  especially 
in  a  parallel  line  of  Hebrew  poetry,  should  be  the  subject  of  the 
following  clause,  where  no  subject  is  given.  It  is  possible  that  the 
unexpressed  subject  should  be  found  in  the  indirect  object  of  the 
previous  clause  ;  but  it  should  require  a  strong  reason  from  the 
context.  (2)  The  Heptastich  containing  the  blessings  and  the  curse 
is  subdivided  into  three  parts  by  the  curse  of  Canaan  as  a  refrain. 
In  the  first  part,  a  distich,  only  Canaan  appears.  In  the  second 
part,  also  a  distich,  Canaan  and  Shem  appear.  In  the  third  part,  a 
tristich,  the  three  sons  appear.  We  might  suppose  that  Japhet  is 
the  central  figure  of  the  tristich,  as  Shem  had  been  of  the  previous 
distich.  This  would  justify  our  making  him  the  subject  of  pt^'"'  ; 
but  it  would  place  Shem  in  subordination  to  him,  and  represent 
Japhet  as  the  hero  of  the  prophecy.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  the 
trend  of  the  poetic  movement  seems  rather  to  bring  the  three  sons 
in  co-ordination  in  the  tristich  as  two  sons  are  co-ordinated  in  the 
previous  distich.  (3)  In  the  narrative  of  the  honourable  conduct  of 
the  two  l)rothers,  the  name  of  Shem  comes  first,  as  if  he  were  more 
prominent,  and   indeed  the  leader  in  that  which  was  done.      It 


PRIMITIVE  MESSIANIC  IDEAS.  83 

prophecy,  the  human  and  the  divine,  henceforth  develop 
side  by  side  in  Messianic  prophecy  ;  they  approximate 
at  times,  but  never  converge  till  they  unite  in  the  person 
of  Jesus  Christ,  the  God-man,  at  His  first  advent,  and  still 
more  at  His  second  advent. 


III.    THE  BLESSING  OF  ABRAHAM. 

Another  long  interval  occurs  in  the  history  of  the 
development  of  the  Messianic  idea.  The  sons  of  Noah 
multiply  until  they  become  families,  tribes  and  nations, 
and  crowd  the  original  home  of  the  race. 

In  chastisement  for  their  ungodliness  they  are  dispersed 
from  Babel,  and  proceed  to  the  fulfilment  of  their  re- 
spective destinies.  From  among  the  Shemite  tribes  which 
remained  on  the  Euphrates,  rapidly  degenerating  from 
the  pure   religion,  God   chose  a  single  pair,  Abram  and 

seems  singular,  therefore,  that  he  should  be  placed  in  subordination 
to  Japhet  in  the  blessing.  (4)  The  patriarch  blessed  the  God  of 
Sliem  in  the  previous  distich.  God  is  thus  in  a  peculiar  sense  the 
God  of  Shem.  It  is  entirely  in  keeping  with  this  blessing  that  the 
God  of  Shem  should  dwell  in  the  tents  of  Shem.  (5)  The  peculiar 
blessing  of  Japhet  is  expansion.  There  is  slight  connection  between 
that  blessing  and  the  dwelling  in  the  tents  of  Shem.  The  most 
natural  interpretation  of  dwelling  in  the  tents  of  Shem  would  be, 
that  he  was  to  conquer  Shem  and  occupy  his  territory.  But  this 
would  be  a  humiliation  to  Shem,  which  would  be  little  better  than 
the  curse  of  Canaan,  and  not  at  all  in  keeping  with  the  story  on 
which  the  prophecy  is  founded.  (6)  There  is  another  interpretation 
of  D{^,  which  seems  more  appropriate  if  the  verb  is  to  have  Japhet 
as  subject,  namely,  "tents  of  name,"  or  "  tents  of  renown,"  repre- 
senting that  the  expansion  of  Japhet  would  be  accompanied  with 
world-wide  fame  and  renown.  But  this  would  so  greatly  emphasize 
the  blessing  of  Japhet  as  to  cast  Shem  into  shadow.  (7)  The 
context  of  the  narration  and  the  previous  distich  would  lead  us  to 
expect  that  Shem  should  be  the  prominent  figure  in  the  prophecy. 
This  is  also  in  accordance  with  the  subsequent  history  and  with 
the  development  of  the  Messianic  idea.  If  Japhet  be  the  subject, 
we  have  more  of  a  political  than  a  religious  prophecy,  which  seems 
to  me  unnatural  to  the  experience  of  the  patriarch  uaider  the 
circumstances. 


84  MESSIANIC  PKOPHECY. 

his  wife,  to  go  forth  from  their  native  land  into  a  far 
country  to  be  the  parents  of  a  chosen  people,  and  be  a 
blessing  to  the  world.  The  call  of  Abram  begins  a  new 
era  in  history,  and  as  such,  like  the  previous  eras,  opens 
with  a  Messianic  prophecy. 

§  32.  The  covenant  with  Abraham  established  a  blessed 
relationship  between  the  seed  of  Abraham  and  God,  and 
betioeen  the  seed  of  Abraham  and  7riankind,  and  also 
assigned  the  seed  of  Abraham  a  land  of  blessing. 

The  original  prediction  is  given  by  the  prophetic 
narrator.  It  is  a  prediction  in  the  form  of  a  blessing. 
It  is  contained  in  a  direct  address  of  Jahveh  to  Abraham. 
We  are  not  informed  whether  it  was  through  a  theophanic 
appearance  as  is  usual  in  this  author,  or  by  an  internal 
communication  to  the  soul  of  the  patriarch. 

"And  Jahveh  said  unto  Abram, 
Go  thou  from  thy  land, 

And  from  thy  kindred,  and  from  thy  father's  house, 
Unto  the  land  which  I  will  show  thee  : 
And  I  will  make  thee  a  great  nation, 
And  I  will  bless  thee,  and  I  will  make  thy  name  great ; 
Therefore  be  thou  a  blessing, 
And  I  will  bless  those  blessing  thee  ; 
But  those  making  light  of  thee  shall  I  curse  ; 
And  all  the  clans  of  the  earth  ^  will  bless  themselves  with  thee." 

— Gen.  xii.  1-3. 

Abram  is  called  to  separate  himself  from  his  kindred 
in  order  to  become  the  father  of  a  chosen  seed  of  blessing. 
He  is  summoned  to  leave  his  native  land  and  go  forth 
into  a  land  which  Jahveh  will  give  him  for  an  inheritance. 
He  is  assured  that  in  this  land  his  name  will  become  a 
blessing  to  all  the  clans  of  the  eartb.     Abram  obeys  the 

1  The  important  technical  terms  in  this  prediction  are  PHJ  ''"1)1 
and  nDHNn  nriDSJ'D  b^  These  we  reserve  for  consideration  farther 
on.     See  p.  89. 


PEIMITIVE  MESSIANIC  IDEAS.  85 

call,  and  thereby  gains  the  blessing  as  an  inheritance ; 
and  secures  for  himself  and  mankind  advancement  in  the 
Messianic  promise.  He  goes  forth  into  the  land  of 
Canaan  ;  and  in  the  midst  of  that  land,  at  Shechem,  by 
the  oak  of  Moreh,  he  is  assured  that  he  is  in  the  promised 
land  ;  and  there  he  erects  an  altar  to  Jahveh,  as  the 
sacred  pledge  that  he  had  taken  the  divine  promise  to 
himself  ajid  recognized  Jahveh  as  the  God  of  the  promised 
land. 

We  notice  first  of  all  a  narrowing  of  the  elective  grace 
of  God  from  the  seed  of  the  woman,  through  the  race  of 
Shem  to  the  seed  of  Abraham.  And  yet  this  limitation 
does  not  destroy  the  universality  of  the  previous  promises 
— rather  this  limitation  itself  is  in  order  to  intensify  the 
chosen  nucleus  for  the  benefit  of  the  whole.  What  is  lost 
in  extension  is  gained  in  intension.  The  thoughts  are 
concentrated  on  the  seed  of  Abraham,  and  his  seed  is 
made  the  channel  of  blessing  to  all.  And  thus  the 
previous  Messianic  ideas  of  a  suffering  and  victorious 
human  race,  and  the  advent  of  God  to  the  tents  of  Shem, 
have  an  important  development,  especially  the  former, — 
that  is,  the  human  side  of  Messianic  redemption, — in  that 
there  is  a  more  exact  specification  as  to  form  and  place  in 
the  indication  of  a  special  seed  of  blessing  and  a  parti- 
cular place  of  blessing ;  and  thereby  also  of  a  blessed 
relationship  of  the  particular  seed  of  Abraham  to  the 
whole  seed  of  the  woman. 

There  is  striking  contrast  between  the  reality  and  the 
ideal  promise.  Abraham  was  an  old  man  and  child- 
less, yet  Jahveh  promised  to  make  of  him  a  great  and 
innumerable  seed.  He  went  forth  from  his  native  land 
not  knowing  whither,  yet  he  was  a  pilgrim  to  a  holy, 
blessed  land.  He  went,  separating  himself  from  his  race 
and  kindred,  and  yet  he  was  the  chosen  means  of  uniting 
the  kindreds  and  races  in  a  common  blessing. 


86  MESSIANIC  PP.OPIIECY. 

The  original  promise  is  unfolded  still  further  in  the 
story  of  the  prophetic  narrator. 

"  Lift  up  now  thine  eyes  and  see,  from  the  place  where  thou  art, 
northward  and  southward,  and  eastward  and  westward  :  for  the 
whole  land  which  thou  art  seeing,  to  thee  will  I  give  it,  and  to  thy 
seed  for  ever,  and  will  set  thy  seed  as  the  dust  of  the  land,  that  if  a 
man  be  able  to  number  the  dust  of  the  land,  thy  seed  also  may  be 
numbered.  Arise,  walk  about  in  the  land  to  its  length  and  to  its 
breadth,  for  to  thee  will  I  give  it." — Gen.  xiii.  14-18. 

The  promised  land  is  enlarged  from  the  "  this  land,"  as 
seen  at  Shechem,  to  "  the  whole  land  "  which  he  could 
see  from  the  hill  country  of  Judah,  "  northward  and 
southward,  and  eastward  and  westward  " — "  its  length  and 
its  breadth."  The  promise,  "  I  will  make  thee  a  gTcat 
nation,"  is  enlarged  by  the  comparison  of  the  promised 
seed  with  the  innimierable  "  dust  of  the  land." 

"We  have  still  another  Jah\dstic  reference  to  the  pro- 
mise in  the  form  of  a  divine  reflection  upon  it  in  view  of 
His  purpose  to  destroy  Sodom  and  the  cities  of  the  plain. 

"  Shall  I  go  on  concealing  from  Abraham  what  I  am  about  to  do, 
seeing  that  Abraham  will  altogether  become  a  nation,  strong  and 
mighty,^  and  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  will  bless  themselves  with 
him  ? »  —Gen.  xviii.  17-19. 

The  theocratic  narrator  gives  the  blessing  of  Abraham 
in  another  form.  Abram  was  anxious  lest  he  should 
remain  childless,  and  lest  his  inheritance  should  fall  into 
the  hands  of  his  chief  steward  Eliezer.  His  anxiety  was 
removed  by  the  prediction  of  God  Himself. 

"  This  one  will  not  be  thine  heir  :  on  the  contrary,  he  who  will 
come  forth  from  thy  bowels,  he  will  be  thine  heir.  And  he  led  him 
forth  without,  and  said,  O  look  heavenward,  and  count  the  stars,  if 
thou  art  able  to  count  them  ;  and  he  said  to  him,  Thus  will  thy  seed 
become." — Gen.  xv.  4,  5. 


*  Snj  ••1J  of  xii.  2  has  become   Dl^fyi  bm   '•'11     The  ninDK^D  b:2 
riDlNn  of  xii.  3  appears  in  the  vaiiaut  y^i^^  ^^1J  ^D. 


PRIMITIVE  MESSIANIC  IDEAS.  87 

In  accordance  with  this  prediction,  the  seed  of  Abram 
is  not  merely  to  be  derived  from  his  household, — his 
dependants, — but  from  his  own  son  who  is  yet  to  be  born. 
And  his  seed  is  to  be  as  innumerable  as  the  stars.  The 
prediction  then  enlarges  upon  the  promised  land,  and 
declares  that  it  is  not  immediately  to  pass  into  the 
possession  of  the  seed  of  Abraham.  There  is  to  be  a 
period  of  four  hundred  years  of  bondage  in  Egypt.  A 
fourth  generation  will  return  from  bondage  and  take 
possession  of  the  promised  land.  This  prediction  is 
precise  in  describing  the  extent  of  the  land.  It  is  to 
embrace  the  territory  from  the  river  of  Egypt  to  the 
Euphrates.  The  lands  of  the  eleven  nations  are  specified, 
including  the  aboriginal  population,  the  tribes  of  the 
Canaanites,  the  Syrian  Hittites,  and  their  associate  nations. 
A  vast  territory  is  assigned  as  an  inheritance  to  the 
posterity  of  Abram. -^ 

The  priestly  narrator  gives  the  blessing  of  Abram  in 
connection  with  the  establishment  of  the  Abrahamic 
covenant,  which  is  sealed  by  the  sign  of  circumcision,  and 
accompanied  by  an  expressive  change  of  name. 

"  It  is  I,  ^El  Shadday,^  walk  about  before  me,  and  be  thou  perfect ; 
and  I  will  make  my  covenant  between  me  and  thee,  and  I  will 
multiply  thee  very  greatly.  And  Abram  fell  upon  his  face.  And 
God  spake  with  him,  saying,  I, — lo  !  my  covenant  will  be  with  thee, 
and  thou  wilt  become  father  of  a  multitude  of  nations,  and  thy  name 
will  no  more  be  called  Abram  ;  but  thy  name  will  be  Abraham  :  for 
a  father  of  a  multitude  of  nations  do  I  make  thee.  And  I  will  cause 
thee  to  be  very  very  fruitful,  and  make  thee  into  nations  ;  and  kings 
from  thee  will  issue.  And  I  will  establish  my  covenant  between  me 
and  thee,  and  thy  seed  after  thee  for  generations,  for  an  everlasting 


1  Gen.  XV.  18-21. 

2  The  divine  name  "^l^  7X  is  the  characteristic  name  of  the  God  of 
the  patriarchs  according  to  the  priestly  narrator.  It  is  a  combina- 
tion of  ^i5,  the  Strong,  and  I'ltJ',  the  Mighty.  ^fe<  is  commonly  used 
with  predicates  such  as  "»n{^. 


88  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

covenant,  to  become  God  to  thee  and  to  thy  seed  after  thee  ;  and  I 
•vdll  give  to  thee  and  to  thy  seed  after  thee  the  land  of  thy  sojourn- 
ing, the  whole  land  of  Canaan,  for  an  everlasting  possession  ;  and  I 
shall  become  God  to  them." — Gen.  xvii.  1-8. 

The  promised  land  is  the  "  land  of  thy  sojourning,"  the 
"  whole  land  of  Canaan."  This  is  to  be  an  "  everlasting 
possession  "  of  his  seed.  The  promised  seed  is  expanded 
into  "  a  multitude  of  nations,"  which  takes  the  place 
of  the  "great  nation"  of  the  blessing  in  the  poem  of 
the  prophetic  narrator.  Accordingly  the  name  Abram, 
"  exalted  father,"  is  changed  into  Abraham,  "  father  of  a 
multitude,"  and  nations  and  kings  are  to  issue  from  him. 
He  is  to  be  the  father  of  a  race,  and  not  merely  of  a 
single  tribe  or  nation. 

The  last  form  of  the  Abrahamic  blessing  is  given  by 
the  editor  of  the  Pentateuch  in  the  combination  of  the 
representations  of  the  prophetic  and  theocratic  narrators 
with  some  additional  features  of  enlargement  and  of 
explanation.  The  trial  of  Abraham  and  his  faithfulness 
in  the  severest  strain  upon  his  faith,  were  the  occasion  for 
the  final  advancement  of  his  blessing. 

"  And  the  Malakh  Jahveh  ^  called  unto  Abraham  a  second  time 
from  heaven,  and  said  :  By  myself  I  swear,  is  the  utterance  of 
Jahveh,  that  because  thou  hast  done  this  thing  and  hast  not  with- 
held thy  son,  thine  only  one,  that  I  will  richly  bless  thee,  and  I  will 
gi^eatly  multiply  thy  seed  as  the  stars  of  heaven  and  as  the  sand 
which  is  upon  the  shore  of  the  sea,  that  thy  seed  may  inherit  the  gate 
of  their  enemies ;  and  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  will  bless  them- 
selves in  thy  seed,  because  that  thou  hast  hearkened  to  my  voice." — 
Gen.  xxii.  15-18. 

This  blessing  is  more  than  a  blessing  or  a  covenant,  it 

^  nin"'  "li^^D.  This  is  not  an  angel  commissioned  by  Jahveh,  but 
a  theophany  of  Jahveh  Himself  in  the  form  of  an  angel.  Hence  the 
constant  identification  of  Jahveh  and  the  Malakh  Jahveh,  the 
transition  from  one  to  the  other,  and  the  recognition  of  the  Malakh 
as  God  on  the  part  of  those  to  whom  the  theophanies  were  made. 


PRIMITIVE  MESSIANIC  IDEAS.  89 

is  in  the  form  of  a  divine  oath.  There  is  no  advance- 
ment in  the  promised  land  beyond  the  whole  land  of 
Canaan  of  the  covenant  which  is  given  in  the  priestly 
narrative.  The  promised  seed  is  to  become  as  innumerable 
as  the  stars  of  heaven  (as  in  the  theocratic  narrative)  and 
as  the  sand  of  the  sea-shore,  which  is  a  third  comparison 
differing  from  the  dust  of  the  land  of  the  prophetic 
narrator.  But  the  third  feature  of  the  original  promise 
is  that  which  receives  amplification  here.  "  All  the  clans 
of  the  earth  will  bless  themselves  in  thee,"  and  "  all  the 
nations  of  the  earth"  of  chap,  xviii.  of  the  prophetic 
narrator  become  "  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  will  bless 
themselves  in  thy  seed."  -^  And  "  I  shall  curse  those 
making  light  of  thee  "  of  the  original  promise  is  enlarged 
into  "  thy  seed  will  inherit  the  gate  of  their  enemies." 
This  is  an  unfolding  of  the  curse  upon  those  making 
light  of  Abram.  They  are  reduced  to  submission  by 
war. 

The  blessing  of  Abraham  becomes  the  inheritance  of 
Isaac.  The  children  of  Abraham  by  Hagar  and  Keturah, 
Ms  concubines,  separate  themselves  and  become  heads  of 

1  The  chief  difficulty  in  the  blessing  of  Abraham  is  in  the  "1313:1 
nD"lXn  nnae^  b^  ']2  (xii.  3),  which  appears  in  xxii.  18  as  l^ianni 
in&^n  ''"'I!!  b^  iy"lT!2-  The  parallelism  in  thought  is  manifest,  and  yet 
every  word  except  73  is  different.  The  latter  passage  is  clearer  and 
later,  and  should  be  regarded  as  an  interpretation  of  the  former  by 
the  Eedactor,  who  had  the  advantage  of  both  the  prophetic  and 
theocratic  narrators  in  his  final  representation.  The  extent  of  the 
blessing  in  the  latter  passage  is  "  all  nations,"  which  takes  the  place 
of  "  all  clans."  This  is  like  xviii.  18  of  the  prophetic  narrator.  The 
greater  divisions  are  substituted  for  the  lesser,  for  according  to  the 
constitution  of  Israel  the  nation  was  divided  into  tribes,  and  these 
tribes  into  clans.  The  nations  are  limited  by  |*"isn,  which  takes 
the  place  of  the  riDlXn.  The  nD1i<  is  used  in  the  first  passage 
probably  to  distinguish  it  from  the  pij<  in  the  limited  sense  of  land. 
But  in  the  second  passage  there  is  no  need  of  distinction.  It  is 
possible  to  think  of  |*1X  in  the  latter  passage  as  used  in  the  limited 
sense,  referring  to  the  land  of  Canaan,  and  think  of  the  nations  of 
Canaan.     But  in  the  development  of  the  Messianic  idea  it  is  sub- 


90  MESSIANIC  PPwOPHECY. 

tribes  and  nations.  The  prophetic  narrative  gives  an 
account  of  a  theophany  to  Isaac  when  he  went  up  to 
BeersheLa,  in  which  the  Abrahamic  blessing  is  assigned 
to  him  without  enlargement. 

"  It  is  I,  the  God  of  Abraham  thy  father,  fear  not,  for  I  shall  be 
with  thee,  and  bless  thee,  and  multiply  thy  seed,  for  the  sake  of 
Abraham  my  servant." — Gen.  xxvi.  24. 

The  blessing  is  transmitted  to  Isaac,  and  first  of  all 
by  divine  assignment  prior  to  the  birth  of  the  twins. 

*'  Two  nations  are  in  thy  womb. 
And  two  peoples  will  separate  themselves  from  thy  bowels  ; 
And  people  will  be  stronger  than  people, 
And  the  greater  will  serve  the  lesser."       — Gen.  xxv.  23,  24, 

This  prediction  breaks  up  the  seed  of  Isaac  into  two 
nations,  assigns  the  headship  with  the  blessing  to  Jacob, 
and  makes  Edom  subject  to  him,  as  Canaan  had  been 
made  subject  to  Shem  in  the  blessing  of  Shem.  The 
favouritism  of  the  father  sought  to  overcome  the  divine 
assignment,  but  the  craft  of  Eachel  and  Jacob  secured 

sequent  to  the  protevangelium  and  the  blessing  of  Shem,  and  it 
seems  altogether  inappropriate  to  give  it  such  a  limited  reference. 
And  when  we  consider  the  subsequent  development  of  the  Messianic 
idea  in  the  history,  this  is  still  more  inappropriate.  The  nations  of 
Canaan  were  rather  the  enemies  whose  gates  the  seed  of  Abraham 
possessed,  than  nations  who  congratulated  themselves  upon  the 
presence  of  Israel  in  their  land,  and  participated  in  their  blessing. 
The  blessing  in  the  last  form  comes  upon  the  nations  through  the 
seed  of  Abraham,  which  is  more  specific  than  the  original  promise 
that  it  was  to  come  through  Abraham  himself.  The  verb  gives  the 
chief  difficulty.  The  Hithpael  of  the  second  passage  must  be  taken 
as  reflexive.  This  favours  the  view  that  the  Niphal  of  the  same  verb, 
in  the  firet  passage,  should  be  reflexive  also.  The  Niphal  may  be 
passive,  but  the  passive  meaning  should  never  be  adopted  unless 
there  is  evidence  against  the  usual  reflexive  meaning  of  the  form. 
We  do  not  hesitate,  therefore,  to  adopt  the  view  of  most  recent 
interpreters,  De  Wette,  Gesenius,  Ewald,  Knobel,  Delitzsch,  Dill- 
mann,  et  al,  that  the  form  is  reflexive,  and  we  render,  "bless 
themselves  with  thee." 


PRIMITIVE  MESSIANIC  IDEAS.  01 

the   birthright    for  the    divinely  -  appointed  heir.      The 
prophetic  narrative  gives  the  patriarchal  blessing — 

**  May  God  give  to  thee  of  the  dew  of  heaven 
And  of  the  fatness  of  the  earth, 
And  abundance  of  corn  and  new  wine. 
May  peoples  bless  thee, 
And  nations  do  thee  homage ; 
Be  thou  a  mighty  one  to  thy  brethren, 
And  let  the  sons  of  thy  mother  do  thee  homage. 
Cursed  be  those  cursing  thee, 
And  blessed  be  those  blessing  thee."    — Gen.  xxvii.  27-29. 

The  promised  land  is  here  emphasized  as  to  its 
fertility  and  fruitfulness.  The  nations  are  to  be  sub- 
dued, and  are  to  recognize  the  supremacy  of  Jacob.  The 
blessing  is  enlarged  in  a  theophany  granted  to  Jacob  on 
his  way  to  Haran. 

"  And  he  said,  It  is  I,  Jahveh,  the  God  of  Abraham  thy  father 
and  the  God  of  Isaac.  The  land  upon  which  thou  art  abiding,  to 
thee  will  I  give  it  and  to  thy  seed.  And  thy  seed  will  become  as 
the  dust  of  the  land,  and  thou  wilt  break  out  westward  and  east- 
ward, and  northward  and  southward  ;  and  all  the  clans  of  the  land 
will  bless  themselves  with  thee,^  And  lo  I  shall  be  with  thee,  and 
keep  thee  in  every  place  whither  thou  goest,  and  bring  thee  back  to 
this  land.  Yea,  I  shall  not  forsake  thee  until  that  T  have  done  that 
which  I  have  spoken  to  thee." — Gen.  xxviii.  13-16. 

This  prediction  is  a  reiteration  of  xii.  1-5  and  xiii. 
14—17.  The  only  advance  is  in  the  enlargement  of  tlie 
promise,  "  I  shall  be  with  thee/'  of  xxvi.  24,  into  "  I 
shall  be  with  thee  and  keep  thee,  and  bring  thee  back — 

^  "lyiT^  is  an  addition  by  the  editor,  who  combined  the  prophetic 
and  theocratic  narratives.  Otherwise  the  language  of  the  original 
promise  recurs,  ndsn  ninSt^'O  SlD  ^n  131DJ1,  and  xiii.  14-17 
reappears  in  |*"ixn  "IQj;.  And  "  the  land  upon  which  thou  art  abid- 
ing, westward  and  eastward,  and  northward  and  southward,"  is  a 
slight  variation  of  "the  place  where  thou  art,  northward  and  south- 
ward, and  eastward  and  westwai-d."  "  To  thee  shall  I  give  it "  is  an 
exact  verbal  repetition. 


92  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

will  not  forsake  thee."  The  personal  care  and  presence 
of  Jahveh  are  greatly  emphasized.  The  priestly  narrative 
gives  the  same  blessing  in  different  forms.  It  is  first 
mentioned  in  connection  with  the  sending  of  Jacob  to 
Padan  Aram. 

"  Thou  slialt  not  take  a  wife  of  the  daughters  of  Canaan. 
Arise,  go  to  Padan  Aram, 

To  the  house  of  Bethuel  the  father  of  thy  mother, 
And  take  thee  a  wife  from  thence 
Of  the  daughters  of  Laban  thy  mother's  brother. 
And  may  ''El  Shadday  bless  thee. 

And  may  he  make  thee  fruitful,  and  may  he  multiply  thee, 
So  that  thou  may  become  a  congi^egation  of  peojjle. 
And  may  he  give  to  thee  the  blessing  of  Abraham, 
To  thee  and  to  thy  seed  with  thee, 
To  inherit  the  land  of  thy  sojourning, 
Which  God  gave  to  Abraham."  ^  — Gen.  xxviii.  1-4. 

This  is  simply  the  repetition  of  the  Abrahamic 
covenant  of  Gen.  xvii.  The  priestly  narrative  gives  a 
reiteration  of  the  blessing  on  the  return  from  Padan 
Aram,  which  is  accompanied  with  a  change  of  the  name 
of  Jacob  into  Israel,  as  Abram's  name  had  been  changed 
into  Abraham. 

"  Thy  name  will  not  be  called  any  more  Jacob,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
Israel  will  thy  name  become.  And  he  called  his  name  Israel.  And 
God  said  to  him,  It  is  I,  'El  Shadday,  be  fruitful  and  multiply. 
A  nation  and  a  congregation  of  nations  will  come  from  thee  ;  and 
kings  will  issue  from  thy  loins.  And  the  land  which  I  gave  to 
Abraham  and  to  Isaac,  to  thee  will  I  give  it ;  and  to  thy  seed  after 
thee  shall  I  give  the  laud."  ^ — Gen.  xxxv.  9-12. 

^  nC  ^S  is  the  divine  name,  as  in  xvii.  1-8.  D''"13  pOH  appears  in 
the  synonymous  D'^Oy  i^Hp.  The  verb  ms  and  the  phrase  V15< 
1^"1jO  ''ilso  recur. 

2  This  piece  closely  resembles  xxviii.  1-4  and  xvii.  1-5.  WOV  /Tip 
is  here  D^13  ^Hp.  "  Kings  from  thy  loins  issue  "  takes  the  place  of 
"  Kings  from  thee  issue  "  of  xvii.  6. 


PEIMITIVE  MESSIANIC  IDEAS.  93 


IV.  THE  BLESSING  OF  JUDAH. 


The  family  of  Jacob  has  increased  to  twelve  sons,  with 
numerous  grandchildren  and  dependants.  They  have 
descended  into  Egypt  to  sojourn  for  a  wliile  under  the 
protection  of  the  wise  and  great  Joseph.  The  aged 
patriarch  upon  his  dying  bed,  in  accordance  with  tlie 
traditions  of  his  family,  is  about  to  pronounce  his  bless- 
ing, and  the  spirit  of  prophecy  comes  upon  him,  and  lie 
utters  the  fourth  Messianic  prophecy.  All  temporal 
possessions  fade  from  his  view  in  the  contemplation  of 
those  covenant  promises,  to  attain  which  in  early  youth 
he  had  outwitted  his  brother  who  undervalued  them, 
and  to  which  he  had  clung  through  weakness  and  varied 
fortunes  even  to  the  last  hour  of  his  existence.  Subhme 
act  of  faith,  guided  by  the  spirit  of  prophecy,  he  divides 
the  promised  land  as  if  it  were  already  in  his  possession. 

§  33.  Jacob  divides  the  promised  land  among  his  sons, 
exditding  none  from  the  inheritance,  hut  assigning  the  head- 
ship to  Judah.  Judah  is  promised  the  attai7iment  of  his 
portion, — the  pre-eminence  in  Israel,  the  ohedience  of  the 
nations,  and  the  enjoyment  of  the  manifold  blessings  of  the 
land.  The  other  sons  share  in  these  blessings  in  a  measure^ 
but  Eiihraim  is  to  enjoy  them  to  an  extraordinary  degree. 

The  prophecy  takes  up  the  covenant  blessing  of 
Abraham,  and  unfolds  it,  bringing  out  new  and  important 
features.  Thus  the  leading  thought  to  Abraham  had 
ever  been  the  promised  seed,  about  which  his  faith,  hope, 
aspirations  and  trials  ever  centred.  With  reference  to 
this  element  of  the  covenant,  there  is  an  important 
difference  from  the  previous  testaments  of  the  promise. 
Abraham  and  Isaac  have  each  excluded  all  but  one  son 
from  the  covenant  relation.  Jacob,  however,  excludes 
none  of  his  children.      For  although   he  denounces  his 


94  MESSIANIC  ITvOPHECY. 

three  eldest  sons,  and  deprives  them  of  their  rank, 
assigning  them  a  subordinate  position  on  account  of 
their  passionate  character,  which  boiled  over  in  incest 
and  wanton  cruelty,  he  does  not  deprive  them  of  a  share 
in  the  promised  land,  which  he  divides  up  among  all  his 
sons  in  accordance  with  their  respective  characters  and 
the  relative  part  they  have  to  play  in  history.  And 
when  he  comes  to  Judah  he  singles  out  this  tribe  as  a 
nucleus  in  the  midst  of  the  tribes.  As  Israel  had  been 
set  apart  as  a  nation  of  blessing  in  the  midst  of  the 
nations,  so  Judah  is  now  set  apart  as  the  leading,  con- 
quering tribe  in  the  midst  of  the  tribes. 

"  0  thou,  Judah,  thy  brethren  will  praise  thee  ; 
Thy  hand  will  be  on  the  neck  of  thine  enemies. 
The  sons  of  thy  father  will  do  homage  to  thee. 
O  lion's  whelp,  Judah  ! 
From  the  prey,  ray  son,  thou  dost  go  up. 
He  doth  bow  down.     He  doth  lie  down  as  a  lion, 
And  as  a  lioness.     Who  will  rouse  him  1 
The  sceptre  will  not  depart  from  Judah, 
Nor  the  ruler's  rod  from  between  his  feet, 
Until  that  which  belongs  to  him  come. 
And  he  have  the  obedience  of  the  peoples ; 
Binding  to  the  vine  his  ass, 
And  to  the  choice  vine  the  foal  of  his  ass, 
He  doth  wash  with  wine  his  garment, 
And  with  the  blood  of  gi'apes  his  clothing  ; 
Dark  flashing  his  eyes  with  wine, 
And  white  his  teeth  with  milk."  — Gen.  xlix.  8-12. 

The  essential  idea  which  Jacob  found  in  the  Abrahamic 
covenant  was  the  promised  land.  His  whole  life  and 
experience  as  an  exile  and  a  wanderer  had  caused  him  to 
lay  hold  of  this  feature  with  all  tlie  strength  of  his  soul. 

It  is  this  element  of  the  promise  that  has  the  higliest 
development  in  his  prophecy.  The  promised  land  is  to 
be  conquered  from  the  original  inhabitants.  Judah  in 
lion-like  heroism  and  power  leads  the  van  of  his  warlike 


PEIMITIVB  MESSIANIC  IDEAS.  95 

children.  The  patriarch's  glance  follows  the  fortunes  of 
this  victorious  march,  and  discerns  its  goal  of  conquest. 
The  interpretation  of  the  prediction  depends  upon  the 
meaning  of  Shiloh.  The  English  versions  regard  this  as 
a  name  of  the  Messiah.  But  this  view  was  not  intro- 
duced to  the  Christian  Church  till  the  sixteenth  century, 
and  has  slight  exegetical  support.  All  the  ancient  versions 
and  interpreters  take  a  different  view  of  the  form.  We 
follow  the  LXX.  version  in  our  rendering.^ 

^  T\y^  is  the  term  that  contains  the  clue  to  the  meaning  of  the 
prediction.  In  the  discussion  that  follows  we  have  been  greatly- 
indebted  to  the  admirable  critical  study  of  Prof.  Driver  upon  this 
word  in  the  Journal  of  Philology^  1885. 

I.  Tlie  Massoretic  pointing  seems  to  rest  upon  either  of  two  inter- 
pretations— (1)  It  is  Shiloh,  the  place  of  the  tabernacle  and  the 
ark,  before  Jerusalem  was  chosen  as  the  holy  city.  This  is  a 
favourite  view  of  modern  critics.  It  is  favoured  by  the  name  of  the 
place,  ^^''^  From  this  point  of  view  Shiloh  is  the  goal  of  the  march 
of  the  tribes,  the  place  in  the  promised  land  whose  occuj^ation  v/ould 
give  the  assurance  that  the  conquest  had  been  made.  The  resting 
of  Judah  there  at  the  head  of  the  tribes  would  imply  the  taking 
possession  of  the  inheritance.  I  formerly  held  this  opinion,  but 
have  been  constrained  to  abandon  it.  For  there  is  no  early  autho- 
rity in  its  favour.  It  is  a  modern  opinion,  and  the  ancient  view 
is  better  supported  by  text  and  context.  (2)  It  would  seem  that 
the  Massoretic  pointing  originated  from  the  opinion  that  rh'^^  was 
the  noun,  p^Ji;  with  the  suffix  n  meaning  his  son,  for  we  find  this  in 
the  Targum  of  Pseudo-Jonathan,  and  in  several  leading  Jewish 
scholars  from  the  tenth  century  onwards.  There  is  no  such  Hebrew 
word  in  the  Old  Testament ;  but  the  Mishna  uses  h'h^,  with  the 
meaning,  embryo.  Calvin  adopted  this  opinion,  and  was  followed  by 
others  in  the  sixteenth  century.  This  interpretation  has  no  Biblical 
authority,  and  is  not  in  accordance  with  the  context.  It  has  been 
abandoned  in  recent  times.  (3)  rh^^  has  been  taken  as  the  name  of 
the  Messiah.  The  first  appearance  of  this  opinion  is  in  the  Talmud, 
Sanh.  986.  But  here  we  have  no  interpretation  of  the  passage  or 
the  word,  but  simply  an  appropriation  of  the  word  for  a  name  of 
the  Messiah,  just  as  we  have  Yinnooi  from  Ps.  Ixxii.  17,  Channiah 
from  Jer.  xvi.  13,  Menachtm  from  Lam.  i.  16,  and  the  Leprous  one 
from  Isa.  liii.  4,  and  so  on.  See  §  45.  On  such  a  slender  basis 
the  name  was  introduced  to  Christians  by  Sebastian  Miinster  in 
1534,  and  through  his  influence  passed  over  into  the  Great  Bil)le  in 
1539,  and  has  been  retained  in  all  the  subsequent  English  versions. 
"We  shall  give  sufficient  reasons  to  show  that  it  is  an  untenable 


96  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

The  idea  of  the  patriarch  is,  that  Jiidah  will  assume 
the  headship  of  Israel,  and  lead  the  nation  in  its  march 
until  they  attain  possession  of  their  inheritance,  namely, 
the  promised  land,  and  especially  the  submission  and 
obedience  of  the  peoples.  Having  attained  this  goal  of 
the  promise,  Judah  abides  in  everlasting  peace  and 
prosperity. 

The  patriarch,  after  assigning  the  headship  to  Judah, 
enlarges  upon  the  fertility  of  the  land  which  Judah  is  to 
enjoy  and  in  which  the  other  sons  are  to  share.      Joseph 

opinion,  but  first  we  shall  present  the  other  interpretations.  (4) 
Koseniniiller,  Geseniiis  and  others  have  taken  the  form  as  shortened 
from  pp'^C'  or  Dlt'"'ii'-  B'^^t  such  a  reduction  of  the  form  is  inade- 
quately supported,  and  we  should  certainly  expect  the  older  form 
in  such  an  archaic  piece  of  poetry.  It  matters  little  whether  it  be 
taken  as  the  name  of  a  person,  e.g.  rest-bringer,  or  of  a  place,  place 
of  rest.  This  class  of  opinions  has  no  proper  support  in  etymology 
or  in  the  text  or  context. 

II.  The  Massoretic  pointing  is  an  interpretation,  and  it  is  not 
sustained  by  the  Samaritan  Codex  or  the  ancient  Versions.  The 
Samaritan  Codex  has  T0\^  ',  and  tlie  versions,  with  the  exception  of 
the  late  Pseudo-Jonathan,  go  back  on  the  same  form.  The  LXX., 
Aquilla,  S3'mmachus,  Peshitto,  Targum  Onkelos,  Targ.  Jerusalem, 
and  even  Saadia  read  ^i^J^•,   and   Ezek.  xxi.    32    seems   to   favour 

this  form  in  its  L2£w'0n  1^  "iC'i^  i<l  '^V^,  which  seems  to  be  a  remini- 
scence of  our  passage.  (See  §  77.)  The  Targums  of  Onkelos  and 
Jerusalem  render  "whose  is  the  kingdom."  The  Peshitto  renders 
"whose  it  is,"  which  is  explained  by  Aphraates  and  Ephraim  as 
"  whose  is  the  kingdom."  Saadia  rendei^s  "whose  it  is."  The  LXX. 
and  Theodotion  render  'iu;  uv  Ix^pj  roi  ccTroKsiusua.  ai/ro.  This  is 
favoured  by  von  Orelli  and  Driver,  and  seems  to  me  to  be  the  true 
interpretation.  Judah  is  to  retain  the  sceptre  until  he  gain 
possession  of  his  own^  the  inheritance  assigned  him. 

HI.  There  are  several  other  opinions  that  seem  to  me  unsatis- 
factory. (1)  Jerome  reads  HTC^  =  one  sent.  (2)  Lagarde  and 
Bickel  amend  the  text  by  reading  rfp'StJ^  "his  desired  one."     (3) 

Cheyne  would  read  "h  rm"'  NU''  ^3  ly. 

The  present  weight  of  critical  opinion  is  so  decidedly  against  taking 
this  as  a  personal  name  of  the  Messiah,  that  it  would  not  be  worth 
while  to  discuss  it  further  were  it  not  that  the  English  versions 
have  deei)ly  impressed  this  error  on  the  minds  of  multitudes. 
Besides  the  arguments  which  we  have  adduced  from  the  form  itself, 


PRIMITIVE  MESSIANIC  IDEAS.  97 

is  the  son  wlio  is  to  enjoy  prosperity  in  the  greatest 

measure. 

"  A  fruitful  bough  is  Joseph, 
A.  fruitful  bough  by  a  fountain, 
With  branches  it  doth  mount  upon  the  wall, 
When  they  were  bitter  against  him  they  went  on  shooting ; 
When  the  bowmen  were  hostile  to  him, 
His  bow  abode  in  perennial  strength  ; 
And  the  arms  of  his  hands  were  active, 
Because  of  the  hands  of  the  Mighty  One  of  Jacob, 
Because  of  the  name  of  the  Shepherd  of  the  stone  of  Israel,^ 
Because  of  the  ^El  of  thy  father. 

and  the  authority  of  all  the  ancient  versions,  which,  however  they 
may  differ  in  other  respects,  all  agree  in  not  taking  it  as  the  name 
of  the  Messiah,  we  shall  give  some  general  arguments — (1)  All 
previous  Messianic  prophecies,  and  all  those  that  follow  for  many 
centuries,  with  the  single  exception  probably  of  the  prophecy  of 
Moses,  are  generic,  and  do  not  refer  specifically  to  an  individual 
Messiah.  To  make  this  prophecy  not  only  specific,  but  so  specific 
as  to  give  the  name  of  the  Messiah,  disturbs  the  course  of  develop- 
ment of  the  Messianic  idea,  and  is  without  example  until  a  very  late 
period  of  Biblical  prophecy.  (2)  The  historical  and  psychological 
experience  of  Jacob  was  such  as  to  induce  him  to  lay  great  stress 
upon  the  promised  land  and  victory  over  his  enemies.  He  is  divid- 
ing his  inheritance  among  his  children,  and  he  thinks  of  their  con- 
quering that  inheritance  from  its  present  possessors  and  dispossessing 
them.  If,  now,  we  regard  Shiloh  as  the  name  of  a  person,  we  are 
compelled  to  suppose  that  the  stress  was  for  him  still  mote  than  for 
Abraham  upon  the  promised  seed.  For  he  would  not  only  lesignate 
a  tribe,  Judah  in  the  midst  of  the  tribes,  but  still  further,  name  a 
Shiloh  of  the  tribe  of  Judah,  which  would  be  a  double  leap  in  pro- 
phecy without  any  psychological  preparation,  and  without  a  parallel 
in  the  development  of  the  Messianic  idea.  (3)  We  have  further- 
more the  fact  that  no  such  name  as  Shiloh  is  given  to  the  Messiah 
elsewhere  in  the  Old  Testament.  In  the  development  of  the 
Messianic  idea,  such  a  name  has  no  subsequent  unfolding.  The 
New  Testament  does  not  know  of  it.  A  Jewish  rabbinical  conceit 
gave  birth  to  the  notion,  and  it  was  introduced  to  the  modern 
Christian  world  by  scholars  who  were  too  much  influenced  by 
such  conceits  without  altogether  understanding  them  in  their  origin 
and  significance. 

1  This  is  a  difficult  line,  and  is  variously  interpreted.     The  LXX. 
and  Vulgate  lead  in  pointing  Ut^'O  —  thence,  the  Syriac  and  Targum  of 

Onkelos  point  DC'D  =  because  of  the  name.    This  is  more  in  accord- 
ance with  the  parallelism,  which  requires  that  the  preposition  ]0 


98  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

Now  may  ^El  Shadday  help  thee,^ 

And  bless  thee  with  the  blessings  of  heaven  above, 

With  the  blessings  of  the  deep  crouching  beneath, 

With  the  blessings  of  the  breasts  and  womb. 

The  blessings  of  thy  father  do  prevail 

Over  the  blessings  of  the  ancient  mountains,^ 

The  desirable  things  of  the  everlasting  hills  ; 

Let  them  come  on  the  head  of  Joseph,  ^ 

Upon  the  crown  of  the  prince  of  his  brethren." — Gen.  xlix.  22-26. 

The  blessings  of  the  tribes  are  inherited  in  the  course 
of  the  history  of  Israel.  They  reach  beyond  the  conquest 
of  Canaan  hy  Joshua  and  Caleb.  They  transcend  the 
victories  of  David  and  the  wealth  of  Solomon.  They 
point  to  the  last  days  which  bounded  the  vision  of  the 
last  of  the  patriarchs  as  he  was  about  to  depart  to  his 
fathers.  They  will  find  their  realization  only  in  the 
fruition  of  Messianic  prophecy  at  the  end  of  the  w^orld, 

should  have  the  same  force  in  the  three  parallel  lines.  It  is  best, 
with  Herder,  Ewald  and  Dillmann,  to  regard  ny"i  as  construct 
before  pt^,  and  to  tind  a  reference  to  the  stone  of  Bethel  (xxviii. 
18  seq.,  XXXV.  14).  Jacob  uses  the  name  Shepherd  for  God  in 
xlviii.  15. 

1  The  Massoretic   nj^l    is  not   supjDorted   by  the   LXX.,  Sam., 

Syriac,  Saadia,  and  some  Hebrew  MSS.,  which  read  ^X1,  which  ai'e 
then  followed  by  Bleek,  Hitzig,  Tuch,  Ewald,  and  Dillmann.  The 
rendering  of  the  Ee vised  Version,  "And  by  the  Almighty,  who 
shall  bless  thee,"  is  unjustifiable.  For  the  force  of  the  jjreposition 
p  cannot  be  carried  over  into  the  clause  DNl,  and  it  is  against  the 
laws  of  Hebrew  syntax  to  translate  a  weak  Vav  with  an  imperfect 
as  a  relative  clause.  The  principles  of  textual  criticism,  both 
internal  and  external,  require  pt?. 

2  The  Massoretic  pointing  "»-|in,  and  the  attachment  of  Ij;  to  the 

next  clause,  are  incorrect.  The  Samaritan  Codex  reads  ny  nn,  which 
may  be  best  pointed  as  "ly  nn.    The  fully  written  in  for  n  belongs 

to  the  earlier  stages  of  vocalizing  the  text,  and  is  of  the  nature  of 
interpretation.  This  pointing  interprets  the  foiTU  as  from  n~in,  to 
conceive,  and  hence  "those  who  conceived  me,"  my  parents.  But 
mn  belongs  to  the  mother  and  not  the  father.  The  parallelism 
"  everlasting  hills  "  strongly  supports  "  ancient  mountiiins."  So 
most  modern  critics  and  the  margin  of  the  Revised  Yei-sion. 


PRIMITIVE  MESSIANIC  IDEAS.  99 

for  He  who  reigns  until  all  things  are  put  under  His 
feet  will  first  gain  for  Judah  and  Israel  all  that  belongs 
to  them :  the  obedience  of  the  nations  of  the  world, 
the  supremacy  over  mankind.  The  Lion  of  the  tribe  of 
Judah,  who  opens  the  seals  of  the  book  of  heaven  (Eev. 
V.  5,  xxii.  16),  is  He  who  goes  on  conquering  and  to 
conquer  until  His  enemies  are  made  His  footstool,  and 
universal  peace  and  prosperity  prevail.  There  is  in 
this  prophecy  explicitly  only  the  victorious  Judah,  the 
submissive  nations,  and  the  occupation  of  the  promised 
land  by  the  tribes  of  Israel ;  but  implicitly  there  is  also 
the  Hon  of  Judah,  the  praise  of  Israel,  the  conqueror  of 
the  nations,  the  Messiah,  who  is  to  bring  all  these 
promises  to  their  fruition. 

And  thus  the  primitive  promises  of  redemption  have 
risen  in  several  stages  through  the  seed  of  the  woman, 
the  race  of  Shem,  the  seed  of  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob, 
to  the  tribe  of  Judah.  The  redemption  is  a  victory  over 
the  serpent,  a  subjugation  of  the  Canaanites,  the  Edomites, 
and  the  nations  of  the  land  and  the  earth.  All  nations 
wiU  bless  themselves  with  the  blessings  of  this  redemp- 
tion. The  fruits  of  the  victory  are  in  a  land  of  blessing. 
God  dwells  among  the  Shemites — He  is  the  God  of 
Shem,  and  especially  of  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  and 
their  seed  for  ever.  He  gives  them  a  land  as  an  inherit- 
ance, which  is  rich  and  fertile  and  filled  with  every 
blessing.  These  Messianic  promises  of  the  patriarchs 
constitute  the  most  precious  inheritance,  which  they 
transmit  to  the  tribes  of  Israel  as  the  bearers  of  redemp- 
tion for  mankind. 


CHAPTEE  lY. 

MESSIANIC  PROPHECY  OF  THE  MOSAIC  AGE. 

The  blessing  of  Jacob  was  the  comfortable  hope  and  ideal 
inheritance  of  the  Hebrews  during  the  dark  years  of 
Egyptian  bondage.  It  began  to  realize  itself  when  Jahveh, 
with  mighty  hand  and  outstretched  arm  led  forth  His 
people  through  the  sea  and  the  wilderness,  to  His  own 
august  presence  at  Mount  Sinai. 

L    ISRAEL  THE  SON  OF  JAHVEH. 

§  34.  Jalhvcli  adopts  Israel  as  his  first-horn  son,  assigns 
him  an  inhcintance  in  the  midst  of  the  nations,  and  guides 
him  with  paternal  care  until  he  takes  possession  of  it. 

Moses  was  commissioned  by  Jahveh  to  deliver  Israel 
from  Egypt.  The  prophetic  narrative  gives  an  account 
of  the  message  he  bears  to  Pharaoh  king  of  Egypt. 

"  And  thou  shalt  say  unto  Pharaoh,  Thus  saith  Jahveh,  Israel  is 
my  son,  my  first-born.  And  I  say  unto  you,  Dismiss  my  son  that 
he  may  serve  me.  If  thou  dost  refuse  to  dismiss  him,  I  shall  go  on 
to  slay  thy  son,  thy  first-born." — Ex.  iv.  22,  23. 

In  this  commission  Israel  as  a  nation  was  adopted  ij 
into  the  sonship  relation,  as  the  first-born  of  the  nations ; 
and  was  thereby  taken  under  the  special  protection  and  fi 
guidance  of  God,  who  assumes  the  personal  name  Jahveh  i'i. 
as  the  Father  of  Israel.  This  relation  is  more  fully  ex-  fe 
plained  in  the  song  of  Moses,  which  has  been  preserved  h'l 
in  the  prophetic  narrative. 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY  OF  THE  MOSAIC)  'AQ-S.:  t(M; 

"  Is  he  not  thy  father  who  begat  thee  ? 
Did  he  not  make  thee,  and  prepare  thee  ? 
Remember  the  days  of  old, 

Consider  the  years  of  generation  after  generation ; 
Ask  thy  fathers  to  tell  thee, 
Thine  elders  to  say  to  thee. 

When  'Ely on  would  give  the  nations  an  inheritance  ; 
When  he  would  disperse  the  sons  of  mankind, 
Establish  the  bounds  of  the  nations, 
According  to  the  number  of  the  sons  of  Israel ; 
For  the  portion  of  Jahveh  is  his  people, 
Jacob  the  line  of  his  inheritance, — 
He  finds  him  in  a  grazing  land. 
In  a  waste,  howling  wilderness, 

He  encompasses  him  about,  he  attentively  considers  him, 
He  guards  him  as  the  pupil  of  his  eye." — Deut.  xxxii.  6-10. 

n.    THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD. 

§  35.  God  redeems  Israel  from  Egypt  as  His  ovm  choice 
property,  and  constitutes  him  a  kingdom  of  priests  and  a 
holy  nation. 

After  the  safe  arrival  of  Israel  at  the  mountain  of 
God,  the  first  word  was  a  promise  unfolding  the  Messi- 
anic idea  with  reference  to  Israel  as  a  nation.  Moses 
was  the  mediator  of  this  promise.  He  receives  it  from 
a  theophany,  and  bears  it  to  the  people  whom  he  has  led 
from  Egypt  unto  the  mountain  of  God.  The  theocratic 
narrative  gives  it  in  the  poetic  form. 

"  Thus  shalt  thou  say  to  the  house  of  Jacob, 
And  thou  shalt  announce  to  the  sons  of  Israel, 
Ye  have  seen  what  I  did  to  the  Egyptians, 
And  that  I  bore  you  on  eagles'  wings. 
And  brought  you  unto  myself  ; 

And  now  if  you  will  attentively  hearken  to  my  voice, 
And  keep  my  covenant, 

You  will  become  to  me  a  choice  possession  beyond  all  peoples, 
Though  the  whole  earth  is  mine  ; 

Yea,  you  will  become  unto  me  a  kmgdom  of  priests  and  a  holy 
nation."  —Ex.  xix.  3-6. 


i'dS'  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

This  promise  was  fundamental  to  the  Mosaic  covenant 
relations  prior  to  the  Siaaitic  legislation.  All  the 
world  belongs  to  God,  and  yet  in  the  midst  of  the  world 
He  has  chosen  a  nation  whom  He  has  redeemed  from 
bondage  and  taken  to  Himself  as  a  purchased  possession, 
a  valued  property/  God  is  sovereign  of  the  whole  earth, 
and  yet  He  has  elected  a  nation  over  whom  He  is  to 
reign  in  a  special  and  peculiar  manner.  Thus  we  have 
a  further  unfolding  of  the  second  Messianic  prophecy,  in 
that  the  dwelling  of  God  in  the  tents  of  Shem  becomes 
the  reign  of  God  as  the  King  of  the  kingdom  of  Israel. 
And  thus  the  foundation  of  the  idea  of  the  kingdom  of 
God  was  laid,  which  henceforth  constitutes  one  of  the 
most  essential  Messianic  ideas. 

The  kingdom  of  God  is  a  kingdom  of  priests,  a  holy 
nation.  It  has  a  sacred  ministry  of  priesthood,  as  well 
as  sovereignty  with  reference  to  the  nations  of  the  world. 
As  holy,  the  Israelites  are  the  subjects  of  their  holy 
King,  and  as  priests  they  represent  Him,  and  mediate 
for  Him  with  the  nations.  Thus  the  third  feature  of  the 
Abrahamic  covenant  is  unfolded.  As  the  essential  thing 
to  Abraham  had  been  the  promised  seed,  and  as  the 
essential  thing  to  Jacob  had  been  the  promised  land,  so 
now,  when  Israel  had  become  a  nation,  separating  itself 
from  the  Egyptians,  and  entering  into  independent 
national  relations  to  the  various  nations  of  the  world, 
the  essential  thing  became  the  relation  which  they  were 
to  assume  on  the  one  side  to  God  their  king,  and  on  the 
other  to  the  nations,  and  indeed  first  of  all  the  positive 
side  of  that  relation.  This  is  represented  in  our  promise : 
as  a  ministry  of  royalty  and  priesthood.  They  are  a 
kingdom  of  priests,  a  kingdom  and  a  priesthood  combined 
in  the  unity  of  the  conception,  royal  priests  or  priest  kings.^ 

*  D^'jriJ  DDpDD.     The  construct  relation  combines  the  two  terms 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY  OF  THE  MOSAIC  AGE.  103 

This  is  the  way  in  which  the  seed  of  Abraham  is  to 
be  a  blessing  to  the  world.  They  have  priestly  and 
royal  functions  to  fulfil.  As  the  redeemed  of  God,  they 
are  His  priests,  and  are  to  mediate  the  redemption  of  the 
world.  As  kings  they  are  to  be  the  armed  host  of  God, 
to  subdue  the  nations  to  His  sceptre. 

Thus  Israel  was  called  to  a  universal  priesthood. 
This  priesthood  was  prior  to  the  establishment  of  any 
priestly  office  in  Israel,  and  is  not  to  be  interpreted  in 
any  technical  sense.  This  universality  in  the  calling  of 
Israel  as  a  nation  is  at  the  basis  of  all  the  Mosaic  insti- 
tutions, and  was  not  abrogated  by  any  subsequent 
legislation.  The  selection  of  an  order  of  priesthood 
in  Israel,  at  a  subsequent  time,  did  not  do  away  with 
the  universal  priesthood  of  the  nation.  The  establish- 
ment of  a  royal  dynasty  did  not  supersede  the  royalty 
of  the  nation.  The  promise  maintained  its  validity  in 
all  the  subsequent  history  of  Israel.  It  was  reassumed 
by  the  Christian  Church,  which  in  a  peculiar  sense 
became  the  property  of  God,  a  kingdom  of  priests  and 
a  holy  nation,^  owing  to  its  union  with  the  priest  king 
after  the  order  of  Melchizedek.  In  the  priesthood  of  the 
nation  there  is  the  generic  priesthood  which  advances 
through  the  Levitical,  Aaronic,  and  Zadokite  lines,  until 
it  culminates  in  the  Messianic  priest.  In  the  royalty 
of  the  nation  there  is  the  generic  divine  kingdom  on 
earth,  which  advances  through  the  dynasty  of  David 
until  it  culminates  in  the  King  of  glory,  who  at  the  head 

in  one  conception.  It  is  a  closer  relation  •  than  the  genitive  case. 
It  is  nearer  the  compound  noun.  The  second  term  is  something 
more  than  a  closer  definition  or  qualification  of  the  first.  The  con- 
ception of  priesthood  and  royalty  are  so  combined  that,  in  their 
unity,  the  one  is  as  important  as  the  other.  They  are  priest-kings 
and  also  royal  priests,  both  in  one.  And  this  is  ascribed  to  the 
nation  as  a  whole,  just  as  sonship  is  ascribed  to  the  nation  as  a 
whole,  in  the  prophetic  narrative. 

^  1  Pet.  ii.  9 ;  comp.  Eph.  i.  14 ;  Tit.  ii.  4 ;  Col.  i.  12, 13. 


104  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

of  an  army  of  priest-kings  conquers  in  the  last  battle  of 
the  world.^ 

in.  THE  CONQUERING  STAR. 

§  36.  Balaam  represents  that  the  kingdom  of  God  is 
apart  from  the  nations  of  the  world.  God  is  its  king.  It 
is  composed  of  vast  numlers,  and  is  irresistihle.  It  will 
subdue  all  nations  to  its  sceptre. 

Under  the  inspiration  of  the  promise  at  Horeb  the  ten 
words  and  the  book  of  the  covenant  were  given ;  and 
the  organized  kingdom  of  God  set  out  on  the  march  to 
Canaan.  After  forty  years'  wanderings  under  the  leader- 
ship and  discipline  of  their  heavenly  King,  they  arrive 
on  the  banks  of  the  Jordan  and  prepare  to  cross  to  the 
conquest  of  the  promised  land.  Here  they  at  once  enter 
into  conflict  with  many  strong  nations,  who  try  their 
energies  to  the  utmost.  Some  of  them  are  conquered ; 
others  are  hostile,  but  are  prevented  by  fear  from 
engaging  them  ;  the  whole  land  of  Canaan  is  preparing 
to  resist  their  advance  over  the  Jordan.  Out  of  these 
circumstances  the  next  Messianic  prophecy  arises.  This 
prophecy  is  not  like  the  previous  ones,  either  from  the 
voice  of  God  in  theophany  to  the  patriarch  or  nation,  or 
through  the  inspired  patriarch  to  his  children.  It  is 
through  a  prophetic  voice  of  one  outside  the  fold  of 
Israel.  And  it  was  eminently  fitting  that  the  darker 
side  of  the  relation  of  Israel  to  the  world  should  be 
unfolded  in  this  way.  Balaam  was  one  of  the  wise  men 
of  the  East,  dwelling  in  a  land  where  religion  has  ever 
been  of  a  purer  and  nobler  type  than  on  the  banks  of 
the  Kile  or  the  Indus.  He  had  doubtless  been  inclined 
to  seek  the  God  of  Israel  by  the  fame  of  His  mighty 
works,  which  had  been  noised  abroad  among  the  nations. 
He  was  an  inquirer  after  the  true  God  with  the  spirit  of 
^  Rev.  V.  10,  xix.  11  seq. 


MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY  OF  THE  MOSAIC  AGE.  105 

a  heathen  magician,  like  Simon  Magns  and  Judas  of 
New  Testament  times,  a  child  of  the  devil,  influenced 
by  the  love  of  money  to  make  the  true  religion  a  means 
of  gain.  Balaam  seems  to  have  been  widely  known  as  a 
prophet  whose  blessings  and  curses  were  alike  effective. 

The  king  of  Moab,  fearing  the  Israelites  who  had 
passed  him  by,  and  coveting  the  rich  land  which  the 
Amorites  had  conquered  from  him,  now  in  the  possession 
of  the  Israelites,  thought  that  if  he  could  gain  the  God 
of  Israel  to  his  side,  he  might  overthrow  them.  So  he 
sends  to  Balaam  to  come  and  curse  them.  Balaam, 
coveting  the  large  rewards  offered,  desires  to  go,  but  is 
warned  by  God — 

"  Thou  shalt  not  go  with  them, 
Thou  shalt  not  curse  the  people  ; 
For  blessed  be  they."  —Num.  xxii.  12. 

The  king  of  Moab  continues  to  urge  him  with  pressing 
invitations,  and  at  last  God  permits  him  to  go,  with  a 
warning  that  he  should  obey  the  word  of  God.  He 
goes  to  Balak,  and  three  times  the  king  takes  him  to  as 
many  different  mountain  peaks  that  he  may  curse  Israel. 
Three  times  the  prophet  goes  with  Balak,  hoping  that 
God  may  change,  and  that  he  may  be  permitted  to  curse 
Israel.  But  each  time  the  curse  is  transformed  into  a 
blessing  of  increasing  significance,  until  the  fourth 
attempt  ends  in  the  complete  discomfiture  of  Balak  and 
a  grand  Messianic  prophecy.  At  first  he  ascends  the 
high  place  of  Baal,  and  from  the  midst  of  seven  heathen 
altars  reiterates  the  blessing  of  Abraham. 

"Lo,  a  people  alone,  he  dwelleth, 
And  he  reckons  himself  not  among  the  nations. 
Who  hath  numbered  the  dust  of  Jacob  ? 
Or  who  hath  counted  ^  the  fourth  of  Israel  1 

^  In  accordance  with  the  parallelism,  we  read,  after  von  Orelli, 
1SD  ^D  instead  of  "IDDD- 


106  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY.  \ 

I 

Let  me,'  myself,  die  the  death  of  the  upright,  | 

And  let  my  last  end  be  like  his."       — Num.  xxiii.  7-10. 

He  next  ascends  to  the  summit  of  Pisgah,  and  the  bless-      ! 
ings  of  Judah  and  of  the  covenant  of  Horeb  combine.  | 

"  Lo,  to  bless  I  have  received  (commandment)  ;  i 

And  if  he  bless  I  cannot  reverse  it.  i 

He  doth  not  behold  trouble  in  Jacob,  j 

And  he  doth  not  see  misery  in  Israel.  ! 

Jahveh  his  God  is  with  him,  j 

And  the  shout  of  a  king  is  in  him.  \ 

^El  has  been  bringing  him  out  of  Egypt, 
As  the  swiftness  of  the  yore-ox  has  he,  \ 

For  there  is  no  magic  in  Jacob,  \ 

And  no  divination  in  Israel  ;  j 

At  the  due  time  it  will  be  said  of  Jacob  ] 

And  of  Israel,  what  hath  ^El  wrought  ?  ; 

Behold,  the  people  rises  up  as  a  lioness,  . 

And  as  a  lion  lifts  himself  up  :  | 

He  will  not  lie  down  until  he  devour  prey,  1 

And  drink  the  blood  of  the  slain."  ' 

—Num.  xxiii.  20-24.       i 

The  third   time  he  ascends  Peor,  and  the  blessings  of     j 
Abraham  and  Jacob  combine. 

"  How  excellent  are  thy  tents,  Jacob,  j 

Thy  tabernacles,  Israel,  as  vales,*  'j 

Spread  forth  as  gardens  by  a  river,  j 

As  lign-aloes  which  Jahveh  planted,  \ 

As  cedars  beside  waters.  } 

May  water  flow  from  his  buckets,  • 

And  his  seed  be  on  many  waters,  • 

And  may  his  king  be  higher  than  Agag,  \ 

And  may  his  kingdom  exalt  itself.  \ 


'  •»C'Si  is  not  "my  soul"  or  "my  life,"  but  is  reflexive,  "myself," 
as  frequently  in  Hebrew. 

2  The  Massoretic  accents  of  vers.  C,  V  are  incorrect.  The  paral- 
lelism is  rather — 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY  OF  THE  MOSAIC  AGE.  107 

'El  has  been  bringing  liim  forth  from  Egypt, 

Yea,  as  the  swiftness  of  the  yore-ox  has  he. 

He  eateth  up  the  nations,  his  adversaries, 

And  their  bones  gnaweth  and  crusheth.^ 

He  doth  couch,  doth  lie  down  as  the  lion, 

And  as  a  lioness  ;  who  would  stir  him  up  ? 

Blessed  be  those  blessing  thee, 

And  cursed  be  those  cursing  thee."      — Num.  xxiv.  5-9. 

In  these  blessings  Balaam  unites  the  lines  drawn  bj 
previous  predictions,  in  order  to  advance  from  them  to  a 
further  unfolding  of  the  Messianic  idea  in  his  last 
prediction. 

"  I  see  it,  but  it  is  not  now  ; 
I  observe  it,  but  it  is  not  near. 
A  st^ar  doth  advance  out  of  Jacob, 
Yea,  a  sceptre  doth  arise  out  of  Israel, 
And  it  doth  smite  through  the  corners  of  Moab, 
And  it  doth  break  down  all  the  sons  of  tumult. 
And  Edom  has  become  a  possession, 
Yea,  Israel  is  a  doer  of  valiant  deeds ; 
Yea,  let  one  out  of  Jacob  have  dominion  over  his  enemies, 
And  destroy  the  remnant  of  Seir."  ^        — Num.  xxiv.  17-19. 

After  predicting  the  triumph  of  the  kingdom  of  God 
over  Edom  and  Moab,  the  prophet  turns  to  the  other 
hostile  nations  near  and  far — Amalekites,  Kenites  and 
Assyrians. 

"  First  of  the  nations  was  Amalek, 
But  his  last  end  (extends)  unto  one  ready  to  perish. 

*  The  !Massoretic  ^'1  =  arrow,  is  against  the  context,  which 
refers  to  the  yore-ox  and  the  lion,  and  the  use  of  arrows  is  inappro- 
priate to  these  animals.  It  seems  to  us  that  the  original  reading 
was  I'nDl  D"^r  DilTiro^'yV  The  Massoretic  }>nD''  V^*ni  has  arisen  by 
repetition  of  similar  letters. 

-  We  change  the  text  by  transferring  vn''S  from  the  line  where  it 
is  inappropriate  to  the  sense  and  the  structure  of  the  line,  to  the 
line  where  it  is  really  needed  to  supply  the  verb  with  an  object 
and  complete  the  line.  We  also  change  the  meaningless  "i^yo  into 
'V'^Z\  which  seems  to  be  needed  by  the  context.  We  also  think 
that  "V^^  nt^''  rrm  is  a  mistaken  repetition  of  nC'"!''  DHi^  HMV 


108  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

Strong  is  thy  dwelling-place, 

And  set  in  the  rock  thy  nest  : 

Nevertheless  Kain  will  be  for  wasting ; 

How  long  ere  Asshur  cany  thee  away  captive  ? 

Alas  !  who  can  live  when  ^El  establishes  it  % 
But  ships  will  come  from  the  coast  of  Kittim 
And  afflict  Asshur  and  afflict  Eber  ; 
But  he  also  will  go  on  unto  one  ready  to  perish." 

— Num.  XX  iv.  20-24. 

Balaam  unfolds  the  royal  side  of  the  relation  of  Israel 
to  the  nations,  as  the  previous  prophecy  had  unfolded 
rather  the  priestly  side.  The  term  sceptre  is  generic, 
and  does  not  point  to  a  monarch,  but  to  Israel  as  the 
kingdom  of  God.  The  term  star  is  synonymous  with 
sceptre,  and  is  fitting  in  the  mouth  of  the  semi-heathen 
prophet  from  the  East,  who  was  accustomed  to  find  in 
the  stars  indications  of  future  events,  as  his  predecessors 
and  successors  in  the  Orient  from  the  most  ancient 
times.  Thus  the  prophecy  predicts  that  Israel,  as  the 
kingdom  of  God,  will  subdue  the  nations  and  destroy  all 
enemies.  The  prominent  nations  of  the  prophet's  time 
represent  the  hostile  nations  of  all  time,  who  are  subdued 
in  turn  by  the  kingdom  of  God.  The  nations  mentioned 
here  are  representative  ones :  those  far  and  near  in  the 
range  of  the  prophet's  vision.  They  are  the  types  and 
forerunners  of  all  those  nations  who  war  against  the 
Israel  of  God,  as  they  are  presented  to  us  in  later  pro- 
phecy ;  the  enemies  of  this  stadium  of  history  being  the 
advanced  guard,  the  front  line  of  an  innumerable  host, 
advancing  in  every  epoch  of  history,  until  the  final 
conflict  with  Gog  and  ^lagog  at  the  end  of  the  world 
(Rev.  XX.  8  sq.).  Explicitly  the  prophecy  is  generic, 
and  refers  to  the  kingdom  of  God  as  thus  triumphant ; 
but  implicitly  it  involves  in  the  subsequent  development 
of  the  idea  the  royal  house  of  David,  and  his  subjugation 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY  OF  THE  MOSAIC  AGE.  109 

of  the  nations,  and   still   further,   the   royal  sceptre  of 
David's  greater  son. 

rV.    THE  EVERLASTING  PRIESTHOOD. 

§  37.  Fhinehas  receives  the  covenant  of  the  everlasting 
priesthood  of  his  seed  as  a  reward  of  fidelity. 

When  Israel  appeared  before  Jahveh  at  Mount  Horeb 
they  received  their  Messianic  calling  with  reference  to 
the  nations  of  the  world,  and  a  divine  instruction  to 
enable  them  to  fulfil  this  calling  and  to  mark  them  off 
from  the  other  nations  as  a  royal,  priestly,  consecrated 
people,  the  inheritance  of  God.  This  instruction  was 
given  in  successive  revelations  from  the  theophany  of  the 
pillar  of  cloud  and  fire,  unfolding  and  enlarging  more 
and  more  as  the.  people  were  able  to  comprehend  it. 
The  fundamental  instruction,  according  to  the  four  narra- 
tives, was  the  ten  words  of  the  tables  of  stone,  the  tables 
of  the  covenant,  the  tables  of  the  testimony,  as  they  are 
variously  called  by  the  writers  of  the  Pentateuch.  This 
fundamental  instruction  was  enlarged  into  a  decalogue  of 
worship,  called  the  Little  Book  of  the  Covenant,  by  the 
prophetic  narrative ;  ^  into  the  twelve  decalogues,  which 
constitute  the  Greater  Book  of  the  Covenant  of  the 
theocratic  narrator  ;^  into  the  Book  of  Instruction  of  the 
Deuteronomist,  and  the  sanctity  code  and  priest  code  of 
the  priestly  narrator.^  These  several  codes  all  have 
passed  through  a  series  of  later  editings,  which  have 
enlarged  and  modified  them  in  some  respects,  but  they 

1  Ex.  xxxiv.  12-28.  See  my  article,  "Little  Book  of  the 
Covenant,"  in  The  Hehreio  Student,  Chicago,  May  1883. 

2  Ex.  XX.  22-xxiii.  See  my  article,  "Greater  Book  of  the 
Covenant,"  in  The  Hebrew  Student,  June  1883. 

'  The  sanctity  code  is  in  a  body  in  Leviticus  ;  but  the  priest  code 
is  scattered  through  Exodus,  Leviticus,  and  Numbers,  accompanied 
with  historical  introductory  statements. 


110  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

give  US  essentially  the  divine  instruction  through  the 
mediator  Moses  in  varied  modes  of  representation  and 
forms  of  codification.'* 

The  priestly  narrator  lays  great  stress  upon  the  priest- 
hood and  the  sanctity  of  the  religious  institutions  of 
Israel.  God  was  enthroned  in  the  most  holy  place,  to 
which  there  was  graded  access  by  several  ranks  of 
priesthood,  culminating  in  the  great  high  priest.  The 
single  Messianic  prophecy  of  the  priestly  narrator  has 
the  priesthood  as  its  theme.  The  fortitude  and  fidelity 
of  Phinehas  earns  him  the  promise. 

"  Therefore  say,  Lo,  I  am  going  to  give  to  him  my  covenant  of 
peace  ;  and  he  and  his  seed  after  him  will  have  the  covenant  of  an 
everlasting  priesthood,  because  that  he  was  zealous  for  his  God  and 
made  an  atonement  for  the  children  of  Israel." — Num.  xxv,  12,  13. 

The  priestly  succession  is  here  assigned  to  the  line  of 
Phinehas  for  ever.  The  Messianic  feature  is  in  the 
estabhshment  of  an  everlasting  priesthood.  This  is  a 
generic  prophecy  which  culminates  in  the  everlasting 
priesthood  of  the  Messiah,  the  great  High  Priest  after 
the  order  of  Melchizedek.  And  thus  the  priesthood  of 
the  nation  has  advanced  to  an  everlasting  order  of  priests 
in  the  nation. 

V.   THE  PROPHET  LIKE  MOSES. 

§  38.  Moses  predicts  a  propliet  like  himself,  divinely 
authorized  to  speak,  who  will  complete  the  divine  instrii^ction 
and  demand  obedience  under  penalty  of  judgment. 

The  four  Messianic  prophecies  last  considered  are  of  one 
group,  all  unfolding  some  phase  of  the  Abrahamic  covenant. 

The   stress    for   Abraham   and    Isaac   was   upon    the 

1  See  my  article,  "  A  Critical  Study  of  the  History  of  the  Higher 
Criticism,  with  Special  Eeference  to  the  Pentateuch,"  Presbyterian 
Review,  iv.  p.  74  seq. 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY  OF  THE  MOSAIC  AGE.  Ill 

promised  seed,  for  Jacob  upon  the  promised  land,  for 
Israel  as  a  whole  upon  their  relation  to  the  nations  of  the 
world ;  at  Sinai,  when  alone  with  their  King  and  God, 
upon  their  priestly  ministry  of  blessing  ;  on  the  mountains 
of  Moab,  when  in  conflict  with  the  nations,  upon  their 
royal  work  of  subjugating  and  reigning  over  them.  The 
everlasting  priesthood  of  Phinehas  springs  from  the 
necessity  of  priestly  mediation  for  Israel  himself.  These, 
with  the  protevangelium  relating  to  the  seed  of  the 
woman,  are  all  of  one  common  type ;  they  are  all  generic 
in  character;  they  represent  the  future  redemption  as 
coming  through  the  seed  of  the  woman,  the  race  of  Shem, 
the  seed  of  Abraham,  the  tribe  of  Judah,  the  kingdom  of 
Israel,  the  priesthood  of  Phinehas.  They  do  not  explicitly 
point  to  an  individual,  although  the  individual  Messiah 
is  ever  implicitly  involved.  The  Messianic  prophecy 
upon  which  we  are  now  to  reflect  is  of  a  different 
character  and  type. 

The  Deuteronomist  emphasizes  the  relation  of  love 
between  Jahveh  and  His  people.  Jahveh  has  chosen 
Israel  out  from  the  nations  to  be  His  own  people.  He 
is  Jahveh  their  God.     As  Moses  said  unto  Israel — 

"  Only  to  your  fathers  Jahveh  did  cleave,  to  love  them,  and  chose 
their  seed  after  them,  even  you  above  aU  the  peoples  " — I)eut.  x.  16. 

The  Deuteronomist  represents  Moses  as  saying  in  the 
midst  of  his  discourse — 

"  According  to  all  that  thou  didst  ask  from  Jahveh  thy  God  in 
Horeb,  in  the  day  of  the  assembly,  saying,  '  I  cannot  again  hear  the 
voice  of  Jahveh,  my  God,  and  this  great  fire  I  cannot  see  again, 
lest  I  die.'  And  Jahveh  said  unto  me,  '  They  have  done  well  in 
what  they  have  spoken.  A  prophet  will  I  raise  up  for  them,  from 
the  midst  of  their  brethren,  like  thee  ;  and  will  give  my  words  in 
his  mouth,  and  he  will  speak  unto  them  all  that  I  charge  him. 
And  it  will  come  to  pass  that  whosoever  will  not  hearken  unto  my 
words  which  he  will  speak  in  my  name,  I  will  require  it  of  him.' " 
— Deut.  xviii.  16-19. 


112  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

Moses  humbly  recognizes  the  incompleteness  of  his 
work,  while  he  projects  the  divine  instruction  into  the 
future,  and  sees  its  completion  in  another  prophet  like 
him,  yet  his  superior  in  authority  and  dignity,  who  is  to 
be  the  prophetic  mediator  between  Jahveh  and  His  royal 
people,  who  is  to  take  up  the  instruction  as  Moses  left  it, 
and  unfold  it  in  still  more  significant  relations.^ 

The  work  of  this  prophet  is  to  declare  the  whole 
word  of  God  with  authority,  demanding  obedience  under 
the  penalty  of  the  divine  judgment.  The  very  fact  that 
the  prophet  is  like  Moses  involves  in  that  resemblance 
a  ministry  like  that  of  Moses,  and,  indeed,  a  ministry  of 
instruction  and  revelation  of  the  word  of  God.     And  in 

1  The  interpretation  depends  primarily  upon  the  signification  of 
^5"»2^  Is  it  a  collective  or  a  simple  singular  ?  Does  it  refer  to  the 
prophetic  order,  or  an  individual  prophet  ?  The  Jewish  commen- 
tators and  most  recent  interpreters  regard  it  as  a  collective  and 
generic  term.  There  is  much  in  favour  of  this  view.  The  context 
speaks  of  the  priests  and  Levites  as  a  class,  and  the  false  prophets 
and  heathen  magicians  as  classes.  Again,  unless  this  passage  be 
interpreted  as  referring  to  the  order  of  prophets,  there  is  no  passage 
in  the  Pentateuch  that  recognizes  or  authorizes  later  prophecy. 
Furthermore,  all  previous  Messianic  prophecy  is  generic,  and  the 
first  prophecy  of  the  next  period  is  also  generic.  We  should  expect 
such  an  one  here.  But  there  is  insufficient  authority  for  taking 
j^^aj  as  collective.  The  Samaritans  base  their  Messianic  hopes  on 
this  passage,  rejecting  all  later  prophecy,  and  interpret  it  as  refer- 
ring to  a  Messianic  prophet.  The  context  is  also  in  favour  of  an 
individual  prophet;  for  the  prophet  is  not  only  represented  as 
coming  forth  from  Israel,  but  is  also  compared  with  Moses,  and 
thus  presumptively  he  is  an  individual  likewise.  It  is  true  that  the 
Mosaic  instruction  makes  no  provision  for  an  order  of  prophets. 
But  it  is  not  necessary  that  it  should  do  so.  Later  prophecy  does 
not  depend  on  the  Pentateuch  for  its  authority,  but  upon  God  Him- 
self, who  called  the  ])rophets  immediately  and  sent  them  forth  as 
He  did  Moses.  The  reign  of  Jahveh,  the  King  of  Israel,  was 
immediate  and  continuous  over  His  people.  The  priest  code  pre- 
scribed an  order  of  priests,  but  nothing  further.  Jahveh,  the 
theocratic  King,  reigned  over  the  people,  and  He  commissioned 
whom  He  would  to  speak  and  act  for  Him  ;  and  herein  was  the 
guarantee  for  the  perpetuity  and  unfolding  of  divine  revelation. 
It  was  necessary  that  the  priestly  organization  of  the  people  should 
be  always  complete  ;  for  their  communion  with  their  God  must  be 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY  OF  THE  MOSAIC  AGE.  113 

that  the  instruction  and  revelation  of  Moses  is  the  word 
of  God  that  liveth  and  abideth  for  ever,  it  is  involved 
that  the  instruction  and  revelation  of  that  prophet  will 
not  be  in  antagonism  with  that  of  Moses,  but  a  further 
unfolding  and  completing  of  it.  We  have  already  re- 
marked that  the  instruction  of  Moses  was  not  delivered  once 
for  all  in  a  complete  and  organized  form  ;  but  successively 
in  the  unfolding  of  the  primitive  germ  in  the  tables ;  and 
that  presumptively  it  had  not  reached  its  end  and  goal, 
but  was  still  in  an  incomplete  condition.  The  prophecy 
that  we  are  studying  predicts  the  prophet  who  is  to  carry 
that  development  on  to  its  end,  and  bring  the  revelation 
to  its  completion.     Indeed,  the  entire  legislation  of  the 

continuous  and  unbroken.  But  it  was  not  necessary  that  there 
should  be  an  unbroken  and  continuous  unfokling  of  divine  revela- 
tion. God  made  new  revelations  of  His  will  as  the  people  were 
trained  by  the  older  revelation  to  receive  them  ;  so  that  in  some 
cases  development  was  rapid,  in  other  cases  tardy.  It  was  not  even 
necessary  that  the  royal  organization  of  the  people  should  be  always  . 
complete  and  unbroken.  The  princes  of  the  tribes  as  the  represen- 
tatives of  Jahveh  communed  with  their  King  through  the  Urim 
and  Thu7nmim  ;  only  on  critical  occasions  was  a  princely  mediator 
required,  and  he  was  always  called  forth  by  Jahveh  when  needed. 
The  divine  Spirit  came  upon  such  men  as  Joshua  and  Gideon,  and 
they  led  the  people  and  delivered  them  from  their  enemies.  The 
prophetic  ministry  was  fulfilled  as  a  rule  through  the  instructions, 
written  or  unwritten,  in  the  hands  of  the  people.  It  was  only 
when  these  needed  unfolding  that  Jahveh  summoned  a  prophet  to 
reveal  His  wiU,  to  increase  and  enlarge  the  material  of  the  divine 
revelation.  And  hence  no  official  prophet  appeared  in  Israel  until 
Samuel,  the  last  of  the  D'DDK^,  and  the  father  of  a  new  era.  The 
prophetic  office  of  Moses  was  not  transmitted  to  his  successors. 
And  hence  there  was  nothing  in  the  historical  or  psychological 
experience  of  Moses  to  incline  him  to  predict  an  order  of  prophets. 
The  very  fact  of  the  distinction  between  his  own  ministry  and  that 
of  the  Levitical  priesthood  in  this  particular  would  incline  him  to 
look  for  one  summoned  directly  by  Jahveh  like  himself,  without 
predecessors  or  successors.  Thus,  in  accordance  with  the  general 
principle  of  prophecy,  he  sees  the  Messianic  end  in  which  the  divine 
instruction  left  incomplete  by  himself  will  be  completed  by  a 
prophet  greater  than  himself  ;  but  he  does  not  see  all  the  interven- 
ing steps  to  that  end.  He  sees  only  that  first  stadium  in  which 
false  prophets  and  magicians  appear  to  mislead  the  people. 

H 


114  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

Pentateuch  is  predictive  in  character,  looking  forward 
with  Moses  to  its  completion  and  fulfilment  in  the 
prophet  greater  than  Moses.  The  ten  words  of  the 
tables  are  the  germ,  the  fundamental  instruction ;  but 
even  these  are  capable  of  improvement,  and  do  improve  in 
the  ethical  development  of  the  religion  of  Israel.  And 
the  same  is  true  of  the  Little  Book  of  the  Covenant  of  the 
prophetic  narrator  and  the  Greater  Book  of  the  Covenant 
of  the  theocratic  narrator,  the  Deuteronomic  code,  and 
the  sanctity  code  and  priest  code  of  the  priestly  narrator ; 
for  the  subsequent  revelation  of  the  psalmists  and  prophets 
give  the  worship  of  the  people  and  their  civil  and  social 
life  an  ever  advancing  development — all  tending  to  their 
completion  in  the  prophet  who  was  to  come,  the  second 
Moses. 

.  The  characteristics  of  the  prophet  predicted  are  thus  : 
"(1)  that  he  is  to  be  an  Israelite,  (2)  that  he  is  to  be  like 
Moses,  (3)  that  he  is  to  be  authorized  to  declare  the 
whole  word  of  God  with  authority.  There  is  no  prophet 
in  Jewish  history  who  at  all  satisfies  these  conditions. 
None  can  compare  with  Moses,  or  be  said  to  stand  as  his 
superior  in  completing  his  revelation  ;  none  in  the  history 
of  Israel  until  the  advent  of  Jesus  Christ.'^ 

^  This  John  the  Baptist  recognized  when  he  cried,  saying,  "  This 
was  He  of  whom  I  said,  He  that  cometh  after  me  is  preferred  before 
me :  for  He  was  before  me.  .  .  .  For  the  law  was  given  through  Moses, 
but  grace  and  truth  came  through  Jesus  Christ.  No  one  hath  seen 
God  at  any  time  ;  the  only-begotten  Son,  which  is  in  the  bosom  of  the 
Father,  He  hath  declared'  Him  "  (John  i.  15-18).  Philip  after  he  had 
found  Jesus  said  to  Nathanael,  "  We  have  found  Him  of  whom  Moses 
in  the  law  and  the  prophets  did  write  "  (John  i.  45).  The  Samaritan 
woman  recognized  Jesus  as  the  Messiah,  the  prophet  (John  iv.  29). 
The  multitude  on  the  sea  of  Galilee  exclaimed,  "  This  is  truly  the 
prophet  that  should  come  into  the  world  "  (John  vi.  14),  Jesus  tells 
the  Pharisee,  "  For  had  ye  believed  Moses,  ye  would  have  believed 
me  ;  for  he  wrote  of  me.  But  if  ye  believe  not  his  writings,  how 
shall  ye  believe  my  words  ? "  (John  v.  46,  47).  The  Pharisees 
accused  Jesus  of  violating  the  law  and  wishing  to  do  away  with  the 
religion  of  Moses,  but  He  said,  "  I  came  not  to  destroy  the  law  or 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY  OF  THE  MOSAIC  AGE.  115 

VI.    THE  BLESSING  AND  THE  CUESE. 

§  39.  The  doctrine  of  divine  judgment  springs  from  the 
divine  instruction  in  the  several  codes,  and  the  Uessings  and 
curses  attached  thereto  as  their  sanction. 

The  four  narrators  of  the  Pentateuch  give  us  four 
different  representations  of  the  divine  judgment,  each  in 
accordance  with  the  nature  of  his  code.  The  simplest 
representation  is  appended  to  the  greater  book  of  the 
covenant.^  The  representation  of  the  prophetic  narrator 
is  not  connected  with  his  code, — the  little  book  of  the 
covenant,^ — but  is  in  the  song  of  Moses.^  The  Deutero- 
nomist  gives  a  solemn  enumeration  of  the  blessings  and 
curses  in  connection  with  his  code.*  The  priest  code 
gives  its  sanction  at  the  close  of  the  sanctity  code.*  We 
shall  first  consider  the  blessings  beginning  with  the 
covenant  code. 

"  If  ye  will  serve  Jahveh  your  God,  he  will  bless  thy  bread  and 
thy  water,  and  I  will  remove  sickness  from  thy  midst.     There  shall 

the  prophets,  but  to  fulfil"  (Matt.  v.  12).  The  apostles  likewise  \ 
represent  Jesus  as  the  prophet  like  Moses.  Thus  Peter  in  his 
address  in  the  temple  quotes  our  prophecy,  and  applies  it  to  Jesus 
(Acts  iii.  22-26) ;  Stephen  also  (Acts  vii.  37).  Paul  represents 
Christ  as  the  end  of  the  law  for  righteousness,  that  is,  its  culminating 
end  (Rom.  x.  4)  ;  so  also  the  law  as  the  pedagogue  leading  to  Christ 
(Gal.  iii.  24).  The  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  represents  Jesus  as  the 
Mediator  of  the  New  Covenant  of  which  the  Old  Covenant  through 
Moses  was  the  shadow  and  type.  The  resemblance  to  His  brethren 
was  that  they  might  not  be  brought  face  to  face  with  God.  Hence 
Jesus  was  made  like  His  brethren  (Heb.  ii.  17),  in  order  that  He 
might  sympathize  with  them  and  save  them.  The  resemblance  of 
Jesns  to  Moses,  and  His  superiority,  is  well  carried  out  in  Heb.  iii. 
Jesus  is  compared  with  Moses  in  faithfulness  in  all  his  house,  and 
yet  is  counted  worthy  of  more  glory  than  Moses,  inasmuch  as  he 
who  hath  built  the  house,  the  Church,  hath  more  honour  than  the 
house,  to  which  even  Moses  belonged,  Moses  being  but  a  servant, 
Christ  being  the  Son.  Hence  the  application  of  the  third  thought  of 
our  prophecy  in  the  warning  not  to  harden  the  heart  against  Christ, 
as  Israel  had  hardened  their  hearts  against  Moses. 

1  Ex.  xxiii.  20-33.  *  Ex.  xxxiv.  12-28.        *  Deut.  xxxii. 

*  Deut.  xxvii.-xxviii.       '^  Lev.  xxvi. 


116  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

not  be  one  failing  of  her  young  or  barren  in  thy  land  ;  the  number 
of  thy  (lays  will  I  fultil.  My  terror  will  I  send  before  thee,  and  I 
will  discomfit  all  the  people  among  whom  you  w^ill  come.  .  .  .  And 
I  will  make  thy  boundary  from  the  Red  Sea  even  to  the  sea  of  the 
Philistines,  and  from  the  wilderness  unto  the  Eiver  ;  for  I  will  give 
into  your  hand  the  inhabitants  of  the  land,  and  thou  wilt  drive  them 
from  thy  presence." — Ex.  xxiii.  25-31. 

The  song  of  Moses  describes  the  blessings  of  the  land 
of  promise,  and  expresses  regret  that  they  could  not  be 
fulfilled. 

*'  If  they  were  wise,  they  would  understand  this, 
They  would  discern  their  end  : 
How  would  one  pursue  a  thousand, 
And  two  put  a  myriad  to  flight."         — Deut.  xxxii.  29,  30. 

The  Deuteronomist  enlarges  upon  the  blessings  of 
obedience. 

"  Blessed  wilt  thou  be  in  the  city,  and  blessed  wilt  thou  be  in  the 
field.  Blessed  will  be  the  fruit  of  thy  body,  and  the  fruit  of  thy 
ground,  and  the  fruit  of  thy  cattle,  the  increase  of  thy  kine,  and  the 
young  of  thy  flock.  Blessed  will  be  thy  basket  and  thy  kneading 
trough.  Blessed  wilt  thou  be  when  thou  comest  in,  and  blessed  w^ilt 
thou  be  when  thou  goest  out.  Jaliveh  will  cause  thine  enemies  that 
rise  up  against  thee  to  be  smitten  before  thee  ;  they  w^ill  come 
out  against  thee  by  one  way,  and  will  flee  before  thee  by  seven 
ways.  .  ,  .  Jahveh  will  open  unto  thee  his  good  treasure,  the 
heaven,  to  give  the  rain  of  thy  land  in  its  season,  and  to  bless  all 
the  work  of  thine  hand  :  and  thou  wilt  lend  unto  many  nations,  and 
thou  wilt  not  borrow.  And  Jahveh  will  make  thee  the  head  and 
not  the  tail ;  and  thou  wilt  be  above  only,  and  thou  wilt  not  be 
beneath." — Deut.  xxviii.  3-13. 

The  blessing  of  the  sanctity  code  is  not  so  elaborate 
as  the  rhetorical  form  in  Deuteronomy,  but  it  is  more 
comprehensive. 

"  If  in  my  statutes  ye  walk,  and  my  commandments  ye  kee]3  and 
do  them,  I  will  give  your  rains  in  their  season,  and  the  land  will  give 
its  produce,  and  the  trees  of  the  field  will  yield  their  fruit.  And  the 
threshing  will  reach  for  you  the  vintage,  and  the  vintage  wiU  reach 


MESSIANIC  PROPHECY  OF  THE  MOSAIC  AGE.  Il7 

the  planting,  and  ye  will  eat  your  bread  to  the  full  and  dwell  in  con- 
fidence in  your  land.  And  I  will  give  peace  in  the  land,  and  ye  will 
lie  down  and  there  will  be  none  to  affright ;  and  I  will  cause  the  evil 
animal  to  cease  from  the  land,  and  the  sword  will  not  pass  through 
your  land  ;  and  ye  will  pursue  your  enemies,  and  they  will  fall  before 
you  by  the  sword,  and  five  of  you  will  pursue  a  hundred,  and  a 
hundred  of  you  will  pursue  a  myriad  ;  and  your  enemies  will  fall 
before  you  by  the  sword.  And  I  will  turn  unto  you,  and  make  you 
fruitful,  and  multiply  you,  and  establish  my  covenant  with  you,  and 
ye  will  eat  old  store,  and  bring  forth  the  old  because  of  the  new. 
And  I  will  put  my  tabernacle  in  your  midst,  and  my  soul  will  not 
abhor  you,  and  I  will  walk  about  in  your  midst,  and  become  your 
God,  and  ye  will  become  my  people."— Lev.  xxvi.  3-12. 

These  blessings  of  the  covenant  are  the  ideals  of  the 
prophets,  and  they  recur  one  after  another  in  the  later 
prophecies  of  the  Psalter  and  the  prophets.  They  are 
based  upon  the  blessings  of  the  patriarch  Jacob.^ 

The  curses  of  the  Mosaic  codes  are  also  the  basis  of 
the  predictions  of  divine  judgment  that  constitute  one 
of  the  most  significant  features  of  prophecy.  The  book 
of  the  covenant  is  meagi-e  here.  The  people  are  warned 
not  to  rebel  against  the  theophanic  Malakh,  lest  he 
should  not  forgive  their  transgression.^  The  song  of 
Moses  is  elaborate  here,  and  lays  the  basis  of  the  doctrine 
of  the  divine  judgment. 

"  And  he  said,  I  will  hide  my  face  from  them, 

I  will  see  what  their  end  will  be  : 

For  they  are  a  very  froward  generation, 

Children  in  whom  there  is  no  faith. 

They  have  moved  me  to  jealousy  with  that  which  is  not  God  ; 

They  have  provoked  me  to  anger  with  their  vanities ; 

And  I  will  move  them  to  jealousy  with  those  which  are  not  a  people ; 

I  will  provoke  them  to  anger  with  a  foolish  nation. 

When  a  fire  is  kindled  in  mine  anger, 

It  doth  burn  unto  Sheol  beneath ; 

And  devour  the  earth  with  her  increase, 

And  lick  up  the  foundations  of  the  mountains. 

Gen.  xlix.  *  Ex.  xxiii.  21. 


118  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

I  will  heap  mischiefs  upon  them  ; 

I  will  sj^end  mine  arrows  against  them ; 

They  will  be  wasted  with  hunger,  and  devoured  with  burning  heat 

And  bitter  destruction  ; 

And  the  teeth  of  beasts  will  I  send  upon  them, 

With  the  poison  of  crawling  things  of  the  dust. 

"Without  the  sword  will  bereave, 

And  within  the  chambers  terror ; 

Both  young  men  and  virgins, 

The  suckling  with  the  man  of  grey  hairs. 

Verily  I  lift  up  my  hand  to  heaven, 

And  say,  as  I  live  for  ever  ; 

If  I  have  whetted  my  sword,  the  lightning. 

That  mine  hand  may  take  hold  on  judgment ; 

I  will  render  vengeance  to  my  adversaries, 

And  recompense  them  that  hate  me  ; 

I  will  make  mine  arrows  drunk  with  blood, 

And  my  sword  will  devour  flesh ; 

Of  the  blood  of  the  slain  and  the  captives. 

Of  the  chief  of  the  leaders  of  the  enemy."  — Deut.  xxxii.  20-42. 

The  Deuteronomist  enlarges  upon  the  curses,  both  in 
the  specification  of  the  transgressions  that  are  cursed 
and  of  the  curses  themselves,  concluding  with  the  general 
prediction. 

"  And  it  will  come  to  pass,  that  as  Jahveh  rejoiced  over  you  to 
do  you  good,  and  to  multiply  you,  so  Jahveh  will  rejoice  over  you 
to  cause  you  to  perish,  and  to  destroy  you  ;  and  you  will  be  plucked 
from  off  the  land  whither  thou  goest  in  to  possess  it.  And 
Jahveh  will  scatter  thee  among  all  peoples,  from  the  one  end  of 
the  earth  even  unto  the  other  end  of  the  earth ;  and  there 
thou  wilt  serve  other  gods,  which  thou  hast  not  known,  thou 
nor  thy  fathers,  even  wood  and  stone.  And  among  these  nations 
wilt  thou  find  no  ease,  and  there  will  be  no  rest  for  the  sole 
of  thy  foot  ;  but  Jahveh  will  give  thee  there  a  trembling  heart, 
and  failing  of  eyes,  and  pining  of  soul  :  and  thy  life  will  hang 
in  doubt  before  thee  ;  and  thou  wilt  fear  night  and  day,  and  wilt 
have  none  assurance  of  thy  life  :  in  the  morning  thou  wilt  say. 
Would  God  it  were  even  !  and  at  even  thou  wilt  say,  Would  God 
it  were  morning  !  for  the  fear  of  thine  heart  which  thou  wilt  fear, 


MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY  OF  THE  MOSAIC  AGE.  119 

and  for  the  sight  of  thine  eyes  which  thou  wilt  see.  And  Jahveh 
will  bring  thee  into  Egypt  again  with  ships,  by  the  way  whereof 
I  said  unto  thee,  Thcai  shalt  see  it  no  more  again :  and  there  ye 
will  sell  yourselves  unto  your  enemies  for  bondmen  and  for  bond- 
women, and  no  man  will  buy  you." — Deut.  xxviii.  63-68. 

The  curses  of  the  sanctity  code  are  given  in  Leviticus. 
We  give  the  most  significant  of  them,  omitting  the  pro- 
tases of  the  conditional  clauses,  all  of  which  imply 
transgression  of  the  code. 

"  I  also  will  do  this  unto  you,  and  appoint  terror  over  you,  con- 
sumption and  fever  that  will  consume  the  eyes,  and  make  the  soul 
to  pine  away  :  and  ye  will  sow  your  seed  in  vain,  and  your  enemies 
will  eat  it ;  and  I  will  set  my  face  against  you,  and  ye  will  be 
smitten  before  your  enemies  :  and  they  that  hate  you  will  rule  over 
you  ;  and  ye  will  flee  when  none  pursueth  you.  .  .  .  And  I  will 
break  the  pride  of  your  power  ;  and  make  your  heaven  as  iron,  and 
your  earth  as  brass  :  and  your  strength  will  be  spent  in  vain  ;  and 
your  land  will  not  yield  her  increase,  and  the  trees  of  the  land  will 
not  yield  their  fruit.  .  .  .  And  I  will  send  the  animal  of  the  field 
against  you,  and  it  will  rob  you  of  your  children,  and  destroy  your 
cattle,  and  make  you  few  in  number  ;  and  your  ways  will  become 
desolate.  .  .  .  And  I  will  bring  a  sword  upon  you  that  will  exe- 
cute the  vengeance  of  the  covenant ;  and  ye  will  be  gathered  together 
unto  your  cities.  And  I  will  send  pestilence  among  you  ;  and  ye 
will  be  delivered  into  the  hand  of  the  enemy.  .  .  .  And  ye  will  eat 
the  flesh  of  your  sons,  and  the  flesh  of  your  daughters  will  ye  eat. 
.  .  .  And  I  will  make  your  cities  a  waste,  and  bring  your  sanctuaries 
unto  desolation,  and  I  will  not  smell  your  odour  of  gratification. 
And  I  will  bring  the  land  into  desolation  :  and  your  enemies  which 
dwell  therein  will  be  astonished  at  it.  And  you  will  I  scatter 
among  the  nations,  and  draw  out  the  sword  after  you :  and  your 
land  will  be  a  desolation,  and  your  cities  will  be  a  waste.  Then  will 
the  land  enjoy  her  Sabbaths,  as  long  as  it  lieth  desolate,  and  ye  be 
in  your  enemies'  land.  .  .  .  And  yet  for  all  that,  when  they  be  in 
the  land  of  their  enemies,  I  will  not  reject  them,  neither  will  I 
abhor  them,  to  destroy  them  utterly,  and  to  break  my  covenant 
with  them  :  for  I  am  Jahveh  their  God  ;  but  I  will  for  their  sakes 
remember  the  covenant  of  their  ancestors,  whom  I  brought  forth 
out  of  the  land  of  Egypt  in  the  sight  of  the  nations,  that  I  might 
be  their  God :  I  am  Jahveh."— Lev.  xxvi.  16-45. 


120  MESSIAXIC  PROPHECY. 

Before  entering  upon  another  period  it  is  requisite 
that  we  should  gather  into  a  higher  generalization  the 
results  thus  far  attained.  There  are  several  Messianic 
prophecies  in  the  Pentateuch  which  may  be  grouped 
under  four  heads :  the  Adamic,  Noachic,  Abrahamic,  and 
Mosaic,  for  the  fourth,  fifth,  and  sixth  are  but  the  further 
unfolding  of  the  third.  There  are  two  lines  of  Messianic 
prophecy,  the  human  and  the  divine ;  the  human,  the 
culminating  head  of  the  woman's  seed,  who  gains  the 
victory  over  the  serpent ;  the  divine,  the  descent  of 
Jahveh  to  dwell  in  the  tents  of  Shem,  to  bestow  blessings 
upon  the  faithful  and  judgments  upon  His  enemies. 
There  are  two  channels  of  blessing,  the  seed  of  Abraham 
and  the  land  of  Canaan ;  the  seed  of  Abraham  through 
the  lion  of  the  tribe  of  Judah,  the  land  of  Canaan  as  the 
inheritance  of  the  tribes  of  Israel.  The  universal  in- 
heritance of  mankind  is  mediated  by  the  central  inherit- 
ance of  Israel.  There  are  two  phases  of  blessing,  the 
ministry  of  a  holy,  priestly,  and  royal  people,  the  son 
of  God ;  and  the  sovereignty  of  a  victorious  kingdom 
of  God.  There  is  a  second  Moses,  whose  prophetic 
ministry  will  complete  the  revelation  of  God,  and  an 
everlasting  faithful  priesthood  for  the  people  of  God. 

Now  these  are  the  great  outlines  of  Messianic  pro- 
phecy, the  broad  foundations  upon  which  all  later  pro- 
phecy is  built.  These  are  separated  for  the  most  part 
widely  from  one  another ;  they  do  not  harmonize  as  yet, 
but  they  unfold  each  by  itself,  approximating  to  its 
fellows,  developing  new  lines  into  which  they  depart; 
but  all  centre  at  last  in  the  Messiah  at  His  first  or  second 
advent.  Like  the  stars,  they  relieve  the  darkness  of  the 
olden  time,  receiving  constant  additions  to  their  number 
until  they  all  at  last  are  absorbed  in  the  dawning  sun  of 
redemption. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  DAVIDIC  PERIOD. 

The  period  of  the  Judges  was  ill  adapted  for  the  develop- 
ment of  the  Messianic  idea.  The  conquest  of  the  Holy 
Land  and  the  settlement  of  the  tribes  in  the  midst  of  tlie 
conquered  Canaanites  whom  they  had  failed  to  drive  out, 
resulted  in  breaking  up  the  national  unity,  in  lowering 
the  spiritual  tone  through  the  influence  of  the  people  of 
the  land,  and  in  decay  of  the  religious  life  of  the  nation. 
It  had  been  impossible  to  observe  any  of  the  Mosaic 
codes  during  the  wandering  in  the  wilderness.  It  was 
also  impossible  to  realize  the  Mosaic  ideal  during  the 
period  of  the  Judges.  An  effort  was  made  after  crossing 
the  Jordan  to  advance  in  religious  life  by  observance  of 
circumcision  and  the  passover ;  but  little  progress  was 
made  beyond  the  simplest  requirements  of  the  code  of 
the  covenant.  For  several  centuries  Israel  remained  in 
a  disorganized  condition.  But  Jahveh  did  not  forsake 
them.  He  sent  His  Spirit  upon  heroic  men  to  deliver  His 
people  from  their  enemies  and  bring  them  back  to  their 
allegiance  to  Himself.  There  was  a  long  succession  of 
disastrous  defeats  and  of  marvellous  victories.  The 
enemies  of  Israel  were  gradually  worn  out,  and  Israel 
was  more  firmly  established  in  the  land.  The  period  of 
the  Judges  closes  with  no  important  enemy  save  the 
Philistines,  who  had  attained  a  pre-eminence  in  Palestine 
greater  than  that  of  any  of  the  hostile  nations  which 
preceded  them  in  the  oppression  of  Israel.     At  this  time 

121 


122  MESSIANIC  PKOPHECY. 

Eli  was  the  presiding  priest  at  Shiloh,  and  liis  two  sons, 
Hophni  and  Phinehas,  ministered  as  his  assistants  ;  but 
with  such  impiety,  that  they  dishonoured  the  worship  of 
Jahveh  and  brought  ruin  on  their  father's  house.  The 
deep-seated  corruption  of  the  sons  of  Eli  is  the  occasion 
of  a  prediction  which,  while  it  concerns  chiefly  the  house 
of  Eli  and  the  succession  in  the  priesthood,  also  points 
to  the  Messianic  end,  as  it  gives  direction  to  the  pre- 
diction of  the  everlasting  priesthood  in  the  line  of  the 
faithful  Phinehas. 


I.    THE  FAITHFUL  PRIESTHOOD. 

§  40.  A  faithful  priesthood  ivill  take  tJie  place  of  the 
unfaithful  li7ie  of  Eli,  and  ininister  hefore  an  anointed 
king  for  ever. 

An  unnamed  man  of  God  comes  to  Eli  with  the 
following  prophecy. 

"  And  T  will  raise  me  up  a  faithful  priest. 
According  to  that  which  is  in  my  heart  and  in  my  souP  will  he  do. 
And  I  will  build  him  a  faithful  ^  house, 
And  he  will  walk  before  mine  anointed  ^  always. 
And  it  will  come  to  pass,  that  all  that  are  left  in  thine  house 
Will  come  to  bow  down  to  him  for  a  piece  of  silver,'' 
And  will  say,  Put  me,  I  pray  thee,  into  one  of  the  priest's  offices, 
That  I  may  eat  a  morsel  of  bread."  —1  Sam.  ii.  35,  36. 

»  "'C'S^ni  '•ZIdSi  are  rendered  by  the  Ke  vised  Version,  "in  my  heart 
and  in  my  mind."  But  nni?,  in  usage,  is  associated  with  the  mind, 
and  C'DJ  is  more  closely  connected  with  the  emotional  nature. 

2  The  Revised  Version  rendei-s  |DXJ  nU,  a  sure  house.  But  it 
is  more  consistent  to  give  the  same  meaning  to  |DN3  here  as  with 
jONJ  jnD  above. 

3  This  is  one  of  a  number  of  passages  that  indicate  that  a  king- 
was  in  the  mind  of  Israel  Jis  an  ideal  longing  from  the  beginning. 
The  disorganization  of  the  nation,  the  independence  and  rivalries  of 
the  tribes,  prevented  the  realization  of  the  ideal  of  Deut.  x^^i.  14-20 
until  the  time  of  Saul  and  David. 

«  The  Ma&soretic  text  adds  urb  1331,  but  this  is  not  in  the  LXX. ; 


THE  MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  DAVIDIC  PERIOD.       123 

This  prediction  removes  the  eldership  and  presidency 
in  the  priesthood  from  the  line  of  Eli  to  another  line 
which  is  not  here  designated.  It  is  a  narrowing  of  the 
elective  grace  of  God  with  reference  to  the  everlasting 
priesthood  promised  to  Phinehas.^  A  faithful  priest  and  a 
faithful  house  will  be  raised  up  instead  of  the  unfaithful 
Eli  and  his  house.  To  this  faithful  priesthood  the  family 
of  Eli  will  do  homage,  as  the  brother  of  Jacob  did 
homage  to  him.^  The  chief  difficulty  in  this  piece  is  the 
statement  that  this  faithful  priest  will  "  walk  before  mine 
anointed."  The  anointed  cannot  then  be  the  anointed 
priest,  but  must  be  another  anointed  one,  namely  a  king. 
This  then  involves  the  conception  of  a  royal  dynasty 
with  whom  the  Messianic  priest  would  be  in  faithful 
association.  There  is  a  transition  from  priest  to  priestly 
house,  so  that  the  prediction  is  generic. 

n.    THE  ALL-KNOWING  JUDGE. 

§  41.  Jahveh  is  the  all-hnowing  Judge.  He  espouses  the 
cause  of  the  weak  and  executes  justice.  He  judges  the  whole 
earthy  and  will  exalt  the  king  of  Israel. 

Jahveh  was  preparing  Israel  for  a  new  era  in  his 
history.  The  pious  Hannah  was  chosen  as  the  mother  of 
the  prophet  who  was  to  introduce  the  Davidic  age. 
Hannah,  like  Sarah  of  old,  bursts  forth  in  a  song  of  praise 
inspired  by  the  prophetic  spirit  in  view  of  the  gift  of  her 
son  to  her  by  God  and  her  devotion  of  her  son  to  God. 
She  rises  to  the  conception  of  the  all-knowing  Judge,  and 
sings  the  praise  of  Jahveh  in  a  song  which  is  re-echoed 
through  all  subsequent  prophecy,  and  especially  in  the 

it  disturbs  the  rhythm,  makes  the  line  too  long,  and  is  a  premature 
statement  of  that  which  comes  appropriately  in  the  climax  of  the 
last  line. 

^  Num.  XXV.  12,  13.  ^  Gen.  xxvii.  29. 


124  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

song  of  the  blessed  Virgin,  the  mother  of  the  Messiak 
The  song  is  a  \d\dd  description  of  the  new  era,  in  which 
the  all-knowing  Jahveh  weighs  the  actions  of  men,  and 
equitably  readjusts  the  inequalities  of  human  life. 

I.  "  Then  Hannah  prayed  and  said, 
My  heart  doth  exult  in  Jahveh, 
My  horn  ^  is  exalted  in  Jahveh, 
My  mouth  is  enlarged  '^  over  mine  enemies, 
Yea,  I  rejoi€e  in  thy  salvation.  i 

There  is  none  holy  like  Jahveh,  i 

Yea,  there  is  none  beside  thee, 
And  there  is  no  rock  like  our  God. 

n.  Speak  no  more  proudly,^ 

Let  not  bold  words  issue  from  your  mouth  ;  \ 

For  an  all-knowing  ^  God  is  Jahveh, 

And  by  him  ^  are  deeds  weighed. 

Heroes  of  the  bow  are  broken,^ 

But  stumblers  gird  on  valour  ; 

The  full  for  bread  hire  themselves, 

But  the  hungry  keep  holiday  for  ever  ; ' 

The  barren  doth  bear  seven, 

But  the  one  having  many  children  doth  languish. 


^  Tlie  horn  is  the  s}Tubol  of  strength  and  dignity  (Pss.  Ixxxix.  2-4, 
cxii,  9,  cxxxii.  17). 

^  The  widening  of  the  mouth  is  a  gesture  of  laughter  and  joy 
(Ps.  cxxvi.  2  ;  Isa.  Ix.  5). 

'  The  iMassoretic  text  repeats  T\T\2'y  \  but  it  is  without  force,  and 
destroys  the  rhythm. 

*  niyT  7N.     The  abstract  plural  should  be  rendered  "  all-knowing." 

5  The  Qeri  i^)  is  better  than  the  Kethihh  ^^. 

^  0^33  nL*'p.  Tlie  construct  has  the  force  of  combining  the  two 
nouns  into  a  compound  like  the  English  hmcnien. 

^  The  Massoretic  text  connects  ly  with  the  next  line.  But  it  gives 
no  good  sense  there,  and  it  leaves  the  one  line  too  short,  and  makes 
tlie  other  too  long.  The  LXX.  has  another  reading  which  does  not 
satisfy.  Bottcher  and  Thenius  would  read  p2Vi*,  and  render  "  cease 
from  labour."  This  gives  an  appropriate  thought.  But  it  is  easier 
to  render  ^]}  "  for  ever,"  and  attach  it  to  the  previous  line.  Thia 
gives  an  appropriate  contrast. 


THE  ^rESSIANTC  IDEA  IN  THE  DAVIDIC  PERIOD.       125 

m.  Jahveh  kill?,  and  he  quickens, 

He  brings  dovni  to  Sheol,  and  he  doth  Vjiing  up  ;  ^ 

Jahveh  dLsinherits,  and  he  enriches, 

He  humbles,  yea,  he  lifts  up  on  high  ; 

He  ralseth  up  from  the  dust  the  weak, 

From  the  dunghill  he  exalts  the  poor, 

To  enthrone  ^  him  with  nobles. 

That  he  mar  give  him  a  throne  of  glory  a3  an  inheritance ; 

For  Jahveh's  are  the  pillars  of  earth. 

And  he  set  upon  them  the  world. 

rV.  The  feet  of  hLs  favoured  ones  he  guards, 
But  the  wicked  in  darkness  are  silenced  ; 
For  not  by  power  can  a  man  prevail.^ 
Let  Jahveh's  adversaries  be  frightened, 
Over  them  in  heaven  may  he  thunder,* 
Jahveh  judgeth  the  ends  of  earth, 
In  order  to  give  strength  ^  to  his  king, 
In  order  to  exalt  the  horn  of  Ms  anointed." 

—1  Sam.  ii.  1-10. 

The  reign  of  Jahveli  in  judgment  has  in  view  the 
exaltation  of  a  king  in  Israel.  These  predictions  of  a 
royal  dynasty  in  Israel  advanced  toward  realization 
through  Samuel,  who  becomes  at  first  a  prophet  like 
Moses,  and  the  founder  of  the  prophetic  order,  then  is 
called  to  the  judgeship,  and  finally  transfers  his  political 
authority  to  the  king,  in  order  to  be  above  all  things 
and  alone  the  pjrophet  of  J'^  ^  The  children  of 
Israel  were  impelled  by  the  cii-„_-...  .nces  in  which  they 
were  placed  to  yearn  for  a  king  and  a  dynasty,  and  the 
national  unity  which  this  involved.      The  capture  of  the 

^  There  is  an  abrupt  change  by  the  1  con-sec.  which  may  be 
expressed  by  the  English  emphatic  present, 

*  ilhny  is  a  final  clause. 

®  There  is  a  play  upon  the  noun  ~2;  in  the  verb  12:'- 

*  The  text  of  the  LXX.  reads  r.~'  for  in"'  and  rhj  for  "i^y,  and 
in  maLy  M.SS.  inseits  several  lines  from  the  text  of  Jer.  ix,  23,  24. 
These  have  crept  in  from  the  margin.  The  rhythm  and  strophical 
organization  are  to  be  found  only  in  the  Hebrew  text. 

*  |n^1  and  DH^i  are  final  clau-ses. 


126  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

ark  and  the  destruction  of  Shiloh  brought  this  to  the 
focus  of  a  popular  demand.  The  demand  assumed  the 
form  of  rebellion  against  Samuel  and  against  Jahveh, 
whom  Samuel  represented  ;  because  it  was  really  the 
demand  for  a  permanent  dynasty  which  would  prevent 
the  direct  calling  of  the  individual  by  God ;  but  it  was 
in  the  line  of  the  Mosaic  ideal  and  of  the  divine  purpose, 
although  it  was  premature  on  the  part  of  the  people. 
The  reign  of  Saul  was  a  temporary  provision,  which 
showed  how  premature  the  establishment  of  the  kingdom 
had  been.  The  reign  of  Saul  was  a  transition  from  the 
old  order  of  things  to  the  new.  Though  Saul  was  the 
king,  Samuel  remained  the  master  of  political  as  well  as 
religious  affairs. 

First  with  the  anointing  of  David  and  his  establish- 
ment on  the  throne  of  Zion,  first  after  the  removal  of  the 
ark  thither,  and  the  establishment  of  the  religious  and 
political  unity  of  the  nation  in  Jerusalem,  did  Messianic 
prophecy  make  a  new  advance. 

III.  THE  COVENANT  WITH  DAVID. 

§  42.  Jahveh  adcypts  the  seed  of  David  as  His  Son, 
whom  He  will  chastise  hy  human  agents  for  sin,  hit  will 
never  forsake.  He  ^promises  to  build  David's  seed  into  an 
everlasting  dynasty,  and  that  He  will  dwell  in  the  house  to 
he  erected  hy  it  in  His  honour. 

The  occasion  of  the  covenant  with  David  was  the 
desire  of  David  to  build  a  house  to  Jahveh  in  Jerusalem. 
This  desire  was  rewarded  with  a  promise  which  tran- 
scends all  previous  predictions  in  its  unfolding  of  the 
Messianic  idea.  Nathan  the  prophet  came  to  David  with 
the  prediction  which  in  its  Messianic  part  is  as  follows  -} — 

^  There  are  two  versions  of  the  prediction,  the  one  in  2  Sam. 
vii.  11-16,  the  other  in  1  Chron.  xvii.  10-14.     We  give  "what  seems 


THE  MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  DAVIDIC  PERIOD.        12*7 

"  Therefore  Jahveh  dotli  tell  tliee,i 
That  Jahveh  will  make  ^  thee  a  house, 
And  it  will  come  to  pass  when  thy  days  will  be  fulfilled,* 
And  thou  wilt  lie  down  *  with  thy  fathers, 
I  will  raise  up  thy  seed  after  thee, 
Him  who  will  issue  from  thy  bowels.* 
I  will  establish  his  kingdom. 
He  will  build  a  house  to  my  name,^ 
And  I  will  establish  his  throne  for  ever.'^ 
I  will  become  a  father  to  him. 
And  he  will  become  a  son  to  me  ; 
"Whom  when  he  acts  perversely  I  will  chastise  ^ 
With  rods  of  men  and  with  blows  of  the  sons  of  men  ; 
But  my  mercy  I  will  not  remove  from  him,^ 
According  as  I  removed  it  from  him  who  was  before  theej^** 


to  us  to  be  the  original  text,  so  far  as  we  can  determine  it  from  a 
comparison  of  these  versions.  The  prediction  is  a  poem  with  the 
trimeter  movement. 

^  The  chronicler  omits  riin\  and  changes  ^^jini  into  ^"^^ii,).  The 
rhythm  is  preserved  in  Samuel. 

2  The  chronicler  uses  njl"'  for  n^]}\  and  "'iD  for  •).  The  less  precise 
text  of  Samuel  is  to  be  preferred. 

8  The  chronicler  reads  IN^O  ""IJ  n\Tl  for  ix^D''  ^D.  Here  the  LXX. 
of  Samuel  agrees  with  the  chronicler,  and  his  text  is  better  save 
that  the  imperfect  tense  is  to  be  preferred. 

*  The  chronicler  has  DV  Dd!?^  for  r\i<  n^DC^V  The  syntactical 
construction  and  the  archaic  expression  of  Samuel  are  to  be  pre- 
ferred. 

fi  The  chronicler  has  ']>JD0  n\T'  for  y])^^  n:;\  The  LXX.  of 
Samuel  reads  n'TT'.  This  is  less  precise,  and  is  better ;  but  I'lyiDD 
is  simpler  and  more  archaic. 

^  The  chronicler  has  ""^  for  ijOK^!?.  The  text  of  Samuel  is  more 
archaic. 

^  The  text  of  Samuel  omits  the  suffix  of  1XD5  and  inserts  in^fetD. 
But  this  insertion  is  not  in  the  LXX.  of  Samuel,  and  it  makes  the 
line  too  long.     The  chronicler  is  to  be  preferred. 

^  Lines  11  and  12  are  not  given  by  the  chronicler.  But  there  is 
no  sufficient  reason  to  doubt  their  originality. 

*  The  chronicler  reads  ""DyD  ^"'D^^,  which  is  supported  by  the 
LXX.  of  Samuel,  and  is  better  than  13^)0  11D''. 

^^  The  chronicler  is  better  here.  The  mention  of  Saul  by  name 
in  Samuel  is  too  close  for  the  original  poem,  and  is  more  like  subse- 
quent reflection  and  explanation. 


128  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

And  thy  house  will  be  made  firm  for  ever,i 
Thy  ^  throne  will  be  established  for  ever." 

—2  Sam.  vii.  11-16 ;  1  Chron.  xvii.  10-14 

There  are  three  elements  in  this  prediction — (1)  The 
everlasting  reign  of  the  house  of  David ;  (2)  the  erection 
of  the  house  of  Jahveh  by  the  seed  of  David ;  (3)  the 
exaltation  of  the  seed  of  David  to  the  rank  of  sonship 
with  God,  with  paternal  discipline  on  account  of  sin,  and 
with  everlasting  mercy.  These  three  elements  are  the  basis 
of  the  Messianic  idea  throughout  subsequent  prophecy. 
They  unfold  the  previous  predictions  of  redemption. 

1.  The  prediction  of  Balaam,  of  a  sceptre  and  star 
arising  out  of  Jacob,  is  now  to  be  unfolded  in  the  sceptre 
of  David's  line.  Jacob's  prediction  of  the  lion  of  the 
tribe  of  Judah,  who  conquers  peace  and  prosperity  and 
gains  possession  of  all  that  belongs  to  him,  is  advanced 
in  the  lion  of  Bethlehem,  and  prefigured  in  the  victories 
of  his  brilliant  reign.  The  throne  of  David  rises  higher 
than  the  sceptre  of  Jacob  and  the  conquering  chieftain 
of  Judah — it  enlarges  the  scope  of  the  prediction,  and 
fills  it  with  grander  conceptions.  The  prophecy  is  still 
generic.  The  kingdom  of  Israel,  the  tribe  of  Judah,  is 
narrowed  into  the  seed  of  David.  The  seed  of  David 
assumes  the  place  and  significance  of  the  seed  of  the 
woman  and  the  seed  of  Abraham. 

2.  The  erection  of  the  house  of  Jahveh  is  the  further 
unfolding  of  the  blessing  of  Shem.  Jahveh  is  not  only 
to  dwell  in  the  tents  of  Shem,  in  the  midst  of  the  tribes 
of  Israel,  as  their  King  and  their  God,  but  He  is  to  take 

1  The  text  of  Samuel  'Tjn''l  pSil  is  to  be  preferred  to  the  chron- 
icler's Tl'^m  inTnDjn-  But  both  texts  insert  nJ?JDD  without  sufii- 
cient  reasons.  It  seems  to  be  explanatory.  Samuel  appends  y^p?, 
which  is  not  in  the  chronicler,  and  seems  to  have  arisen  by  repetition 
from  the  previous  line. 

^  The  chronicler  incorrectly  uses  the  third  person  of  the  suffix 
for  the  second  person. 


THE  MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  DAVIDIC  PERIOD.        129 

up  His  abode  in  Jerusalem,  in  a  temple  to  be  erected  by 
the  seed  of  David.  There  is  no  explicit  reference  to 
Solomon  as  the  builder  of  the  temple,  but  to  the  seed  of 
David  in  general.  The  temple  of  Jahveh  is  to  be  an 
everlasting  temple,  and  the  seed  of  David  as  a  whole  is 
to  have  the  care  of  that  temple,  which  is  conceived  of  in 
the  prediction  in  its  culmination,  and  not  merely  in  the 
temple  erected  by  Solomon.  The  temple  of  Solomon 
was  the  historical  movement  toward  a  realization  of 
the  prediction ;  it  was  not  the  accomplishment  of 
the  ideal  of  the  prediction,  for  that  ideal  was  some- 
thing higher  and  more  glorious  than  the  temple  of 
Solomon. 

3.  The  highest  feature  of  the  prediction  of  ISTathan  is, 
however,  in  the  relation  of  sonship  thereby  established. 
Israel  at  the  exodus  had  been  taken  up  into  the  relation 
of  sonship  to  Jahveh.  Jsrael  was  His  son.  His  first- 
born. Now  this  relation  of  sonship  is  applied  to  David 
and  his  seed  in  a  peculiar  and  higher  sense.  This 
relation  of  sonship  involves  two  special  phases — chas- 
tisement and  mercy.  The  chastisement  is  on  account 
of  sin,  and  in  order  to  its  removal.  This  feature  is 
omitted  by  the  chronicler.  It  is  chastisement  by  paternal 
love, — it  is  by  the  use  of  men  of  high  and  low  degree. 
But  it  is  a  chastisement  of  redemption.  The  mercy  of 
God,  His  paternal  mercy,  is  everlasting ;  it  will  never 
depart  from  David  and  his  seed  as  it  had  departed  from 
Saul.  The  conception  of  the  suffering  seed  of  the  prot- 
evangelium  is  now  advanced  to  a  higher  stage — the 
suffering  is  not  here  through  the  temptations  and  assaults 
of  the  evil  one,  the  serpent,  but  through  the  chastise- 
ment of  paternal  love.  The  affliction  comes  through 
evil  men  who  render  the  supremacy  and  the  victory 
difficult  and  hazardous,  but  cannot  stay  it  or  prevent  its 
ultimate  realization.     For  over  above  aU  this  affliction  is 

I 


130  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

the  hand  of  the  Father  God  who  uses  these  wicked  men 
as  the  rods  of  His  chastening  love. 

The  prediction  has  been  rashly  interpreted  as  referring 
to  Solomon.  But  Solomon  is  only  the  herald  of  its 
realization,  like  David  himself.  Solomon  by  his  historical 
transactions  points  the  way  to  the  ultimate  realization 
in  the  Messiah,  who  pursued  the  way  of  suffering  to 
gain  the  glories  of  redemption,  who  suffered  the  chastise- 
ments of  His  Father  God  for  the  redemption  of  the  race. 
It  is  true  we  cannot  refer  the  committing  iniquity,  the 
acting  perversely,  to  Him  as  a  person.  But  none  of  the 
features  of  the  prediction  refer  to  Him  directly  as  a  person. 
The  prediction  throughout  is  generic.  It  finds  its 
realization  in  him  as  the  culmination  of  David's  line. 
The  dynasty  of  David  is  an  everlasting  dynasty.  It 
continues  from  David  onward  to  reign  over  Israel,  but 
it  is  only  in  Jesus  Christ  that  it  really  becomes  an 
eternal  throne.  The  dynasty  of  David  is  the  builder 
of  the  house  of  Jahveh,  beginning  with  Solomon  and 
continuing  through  the  noble  monarchs  of  that  line  to 
care  for  the  temple  of  their  God ;  they  rebuild  it  under 
Zerubbabel,  but  it  is  not  until  Jesus  Christ  erected  the 
temple  of  humanity  in  heaven  at  the  right  hand  of 
God  that  the  prediction  attained  its  ideal.  The  paternal 
mercy  and  chastisement  were  realized  in  the  history  of 
the  Davidic  dynasty,  but  that  mercy  was  first  made  sure 
for  ever  in  the  suffering  of  Jesus  Christ  when  He  was 
chastised,  not  for  His  own  sins,  but  for  the  sins  of  the 
Davidic  dynasty,  of  Israel  and  the  world.  In  the  pro- 
phecy of  Nathan  the  predictions  of  the  Pentateuch  are 
transformed  into  new  ideals  to  constitute  the  basis  of 
Messianic  predictions  in  the  future. 

The  Davidic  covenant  is  the  embodiment  of  the  hope 
of  David  and  the  theme  of  his  last  meditations.  The 
prophetic  historian,  the  author  of  the  Books  of  Samuel, 


THE  MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  DA VI  DIG  PERIOD.        131 

has  preserved  the  last  words  of  the  sweet  singer  of  Israel 
in  the  following  beautiful  poem  : — 

I.  "  Utterance  ^  of  the  man  whom  the  Most  High  ^  has  raised  up. 
The  Spirit  of  Jahveh  speaks  in  me, 
And  his  word  is  upon  my  tongue. 
The  God  of  Israel  doth  say  to  me, 
The  Eock  of  Israel  doth  speak. 

II.  A  ruler  over  men — righteous  : 
A  ruler  in  the  fear  of  God, 

Yea,  he  is  like  the  morning  light  when  the  sun  rises, 
A  morning  without  clouds, 
Fromshiniug,  from  rain,  tender  grass  sprouts  from  the  earth. 

III.  Is  not  thus  my  house  with  ^El  ? 

For  an  everlasting  covenant  hath  he  made  with  me, 
Arranged  in  all  things,  and  secured, 
Yea,  all  my  salvation  and  every  delight, 
"Will  he  not  cause  it  to  sprout  1 

IV.  But  the  worthless,  all  of  them  are  thrust  away '  like  thorns  ; 
For  they  cannot  be  taken  with  the  hand  ; 

The  man  touching  them 

Must  be  armed  with  iron  and  the  spear's  staff; 

And  they  will  be  utterly  *  consumed  with  fire." 

— 2  Sam.  xxiii.  1-7. 

^  The  editor  has  enlarged  the  first  strophe  by  dwelling  upon  the 
character  of  David  as  the  anointed  of  God  ;  thus — 
"  Anointed  of  the  God  of  Jacob, 
Sweet  in  the  songs  of  Israel." 
^  pj;,  according  to  Gesenius,  is  an  adverb  =  on  high,  highly,  but 
it  is  only  here  in  this  sense.     The  Vulgate  renders  ^y  as  a  pre- 
position, de  Christo.     It  is  better  to  take  ^]i  as  a  shortened  form  of 
]\'hv^  as  in  Hos.  ii.  7,  vii.  16,  and  to  follow  the  LXX.  6u  dviarmnf 
0  &i6;,  and  point  the  verb  Dpn. 

2  njp  is  Hoph.  part.  :  only  here  from  y\^   =   shake  out,  thrust 

away,  or  from  inj   =  Jlap  wings  and  fleCy  and  thus  chased  away. 
*I3p  is  used  in  Job  xx.  8.  • 

^   T\2'^li  =  in  their  dwelling,  from  2l^i.    But  the  LXX.  reads  DK^'sa 

by  transposition  of  letters,   and  the  Vulgate   icsque  ad   7iihiiumy 
reading  nntJ*,  cessation,  from  n2^. 


132  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

In  this  swan  -  song  David  clings  to  the  Messianic 
promise  as  his  greatest  delight.  He  pictures  the  righteous, 
God-fearing  ruler  shining  forth  like  the  dawn  and  spring- 
ing up  like  the  tender  grass  after  a  shower.  He  expresses 
his  confidence  in  the  firm,  sure  and  everlasting  covenant 
of  God,  that  He  will  cause  all  his  salvation  and  delight 
to  spring  up  in  due  time,  and  that  He  will  utterly 
destroy  all  the  wicked  adversaries. 

The  life  and  experience  of  David  and  Solomon  his 
son  become  the  typical  frames  of  the  Messianic  idea, 
as  they  fill  up  the  outlines  of  the  prediction  of  Nathan. 
It  matters  little  whether  these  are  presented  to  us  in 
the  words  of  David  or  Solomon,  or  of  some  other  poet 
of  their  circle  or  age.  That  David  or  Solomon  is  their 
theme,  and  their  experience  the  Messianic  type,  justifies 
us  in  treating  them  together. 

IV.    THE  CONQUEPJNG  KING. 

§  43.  Psalm  GX.  cites  an  utterance  and  oath  of  Jahvch 
to  the  Messiah,  enthroning  him  at  his  right  hand  as  the 
friest-king  after  the  order  of  Melchizedek.  He  then  stands 
at  his  right  hand  as  he  goes  forth  at  the  head  of  a  i^riestly 
army  to  the  conquest  of  the  nations. 

The  110th  Psalm  is  in  the  form  of  an  utterance  from 
Jahveh  respecting  the  son  of  David.  It  is  therefore  a 
prediction  that  unfolds  the  prediction  of  Nathan.  It  is 
composed  of  two  strophes  of  six  pentameter  lines  each. 

I.  "  Utterance  of  Jahveh  to  my  Lord ; ^  'sit  enthroned  at  my  right 
hand 
Till  I  make  thine  enemies  a  stool  for  thy  feet ; ' 


^  "'J1i<^-  The  Psalmist  recognizes  the  recipient  of  the  utterance 
of  Jahveh  as  his  Lord  and  Sovereign.  The  utterance  was  made 
directly  to  him  ;  as  in  Ps.  ii.,  the  Messiah  himself  cites  a  decree  of 
Jahveh. 


THE  MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  DAVIDIC  PERIOD.        133 

The  rod  of  thy  strength  Jahveh  sendeth  out  of  Zion  : 

Rule  in  the  midst  of  thine  enemies.^ 

Thy  people  are  volunteers  ^  in  the  day  of  thy  host,  in  beauty  of 

holiness. 
From  the  womb  of  the  morning  thou  hast  the  dew  of  thy  young 

men.^ 


3 


II.  Jahveh  hath  sworn,  and  he  will  not  be  sorry, 

'  Thou  art  a  priest  for  ever  after  the  order  of  Melchizedek.' 
The  Lord  on  thy  right  hand  doth  smite  kings  in  the  day  of  his 

wrath. 
He  judgeth  among  the  nations.     It  is  filled  with  dead  bodies;* 
He  doth  smite  the  chiefs^  [goi^ig]  over^  a  wide  land. 
Of  the  brook  on  the  way  he  drinketh,^  therefore  he  lifteth  his 

head." 

The  first  strophe  cites  an  utterance  exalting  the 
Messiah  to  the  right  hand  of  God,  to  a  throne  of  supre- 
macy over  all  his  enemies.  He  is  then  represented  as 
riding  forth  from  Zion  in  his  chariot,  at  the  head  of  an 
army  of  youthful  volunteers,  a  multitude  vast  as  the 
dew-drops  of  the  morn,  in  fulness  and  freshness  of 
youth,  and  in  holy  and  beautiful  attire. 

The  second  strophe  cites  an  oath  of  Jahveh  making 

^  Line  4  is  a  half  line  in  order  to  a  metrical  pause. 

^  nm^  is  used,  as  in  Judg.  v.  2,  to  indicate  the  heroic  courage  of 
the  people.  They  volunteer  to  follow  their  king  into  the  battle. 
There  is  no  sufficient  reason  for  thinking  of  the  free-will  offerings  of 
the  priest  code. 

^  im?''  ^D  =  dew  of  thy  youth.  The  youth  does  not  refer  to  the 
age  of  the  king,  as  some  have  supposed,  but  to  the  age  of  the  volun- 
teers. They  are  young  men  in  holy  attire.  They  spring  forth  at 
his  call  as  fresh  and  numerous  as  the  dew-drops  at  the  break  of  day. 

*  r\V)i  S/JQ-  The  verb  is  intransitive.  Its  subject  is  the  battle- 
field, which  is  sufficiently  plain  from  the  context. 

^  t^X"l  is  collective,  and  parallel  with  D'^D^C 

^  ^y  is  pregnant,  implying  the  verb  *]!?n.  It  indicates  the  wide 
extent  of  the  battlefield  and  the  victory. 

'^  This  is  a  reminiscence  of  the  victory  of  Gideon  and  his  men  at 
the  spring  Harod  (Judg.  vii.).  The  king  presses  on  in  pursuit  of  his 
foes,  and  drinks  of  the  brook  while  in  movement,  without  halting. 
He  is  eager  to  gain  a  complete  victory.  He  lifts  up  his  head  in  the 
proud  consciousness  that  it  has  been  gained. 


134  MESSLLNIC  PROPHECY. 

the  Messiah  a  priest-king  after  the  order  of  Melchizedek. 
It  represents  Jahveh  on  his  right  hand  in  the  conflict. 
We  see  him  dashing  in  pieces  the  kings  and  the  chiefs 
of  the  enemy  in  order  to  exalt  the  Messiah  to  be  chief 
over  all.  The  victorious  march  extends  over  a  wide 
country;  the  battlefield  is  filled  with  the  slain.  The 
Messiah  is  wearied  with  the  struofde,  but  he  halts  not 
in  his  march  of  victory,  drinking  of  the  brook  on  the  way 
like  the  warriors  of  Gideon,  and  tarries  not  until  his 
exaltation  over  all  has  been  accomplished. 

This  prediction  combines  priesthood  and  royalty  in 
the  Messiah.  It  is  thus  an  unfolding  of  the  covenant 
of  Sinai.  As  the  nation  of  Israel  had  then  been  consti- 
tuted a  kingdom  of  priests,  a  holy  nation,  so  now  by  a 
divine  oath  the  Davidic  monarch  is  constituted  the  priest- 
king  at  the  head  of  a  kingdom  of  priests.  Melchizedek 
is  the  model  for  such  a  priest-king  coming  down  from 
primitive  times.  The  prediction  of  Balaam  is  resumed, 
and  the  conquering  sceptre  which  dashes  in  pieces  all 
enemies  is  now  in  the  hands  of  this  priest  -  king,  the 
second  David.  Zion  is  the  seat  of  his  dominion  over  the 
nations.  The  intimate  relationship  is  represented  as  an 
enthronement  at  the  right  hand  of  Jahveh,  and  also  as 
the  presence  of  Jahveh  at  his  right  hand  in  the  battle. 
This  idea  was  never  realized  in  the  history  of  Israel.  It 
belongs  to  the  great  High  Priest  after  the  order  of 
Melchizedek,  who  reigns  on  the  heights  of  the  heavenly 
Zion  until  all  things  are  subdued  to  His  heavenly  sceptre. 

V.    THE  ENTHRONED  MESSIAH. 

§  44.  Psalm  II.  rej^irescnts  the  Messiah  enthroned  on  Zion 
at  the  right  hand  of  Jahveh  as  His  son,  citing  a  divine 
decree  entitling  him  to  the  position,  ivith  all  its  prerogatives, 
of  universal  and  everlasting  sovereignty. 


THE  MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  DAVIDIC  PEKIOD.        135 

"  Wliy  do  nations  rage,^ 
And  peoples  meditate  a  vain  thing  ? 
Kings  of  earth  set  themselves, 
And  rulers  do  take  counsel  together : 
Against  Jahveh,  and  against  his  anointed, 
Saying^    '  Let  us  break  their  bands  asunder, 

And  let  us  cast  away  their  cords  from  us.' 

II.  He  that  is  throned  in  heaven  laugheth  : 
The  Lord  derides  them  : 
Then  he  speaks  unto  them  in  his  anger, 
And  in  his  hot  wrath  troubles  them, 

Baying^    *  Verily,  I,  even  I,  have  set  my  king 
On  Zion,  my  holy  mountain.' 

III.  Let  me  tell  of  a  decree  of  Jahveh,^ 
He  said  unto  me,  '  Thou  art  my  son, 
I,  to-day,*  have  begotten  thee. 
Ask  of  me  and  I  will  give  nations,^ 

Thine  inheritance  and  possession  will  be  the  ends  of  earth  ; 
Thou  shalt  break  them  with  an  iron  sceptre, 
As  a  potter's  vessel  dash  them  in  pieces.' 


■^  ^T\  is  an  Aramaic  word  only  used  here  in  Hebrew.  It  is 
kindred  with  K^yi  =  to  quake.  It  indicates  the  noisy  demonstra- 
tions, the  tumult  that  precedes  rebellion, 

2  The  second  strophe  is  an  antistrophe  to  the  first,  so  arranged 
that  every  line  is  in  antithesis  to  its  fellow,  with  the  single  exception 
of  the  fifth.  We  should  expect  the  object  of  the  wrath  of  God  to 
be  mentioned  here  to  correspond  with  the  previous  strophe.  In 
view  of  the  symmetry  of  the  psalm  in  other  respects,  I  cannot 
escape  the  feeling  that  a  line  has  been  omitted  by  a  later  editor  or 
copyist. 

^  nin^  pn  PX.  We  disregard  the  Massoretic  accents,  and  regard 
pn  as  construct  before  nins  and  thus  we  avoid  the  awkward  placing 
of  niiT'  before  the  verb,  which  seems  to  be  without  force  here,  and  it 
also  make  the  lines  more  symmetrical. 

^  The  day  is  the  day  of  the  installation.  The  begetting  is  the 
establishment  in  the  official  sonship  relation,  as  in  the  prediction  of 
Nathan  (2  Sam.  vii.  11-16)  and  the  covenant  with  Israel  (Ex. 
iv.  22). 

_*  We  follow  the  rhythm  and  disregard  the  Massoretic  accents  in 
this  line  and  the  following. 


136  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

lY.  And  now,  ye  kings,  act  wisely, 
Be  instructed,  judges  of  earth. 
Serve  Jaliveh  with  fear, 

And  reverence  with  trembling,  render^  sincere^  homage, 
Lest  he  be  angry,  and  ye  perish  in  the  way  ; 
For  soon  his  anger  may  be  kindled. 
Blessed  are  all  who  seek  refuge  in  him." 

The  first  strophe  represents  the  nations  as  plotting  to 
throw  off  the  yoke  of  the  recently  installed  monarch,  the 
anointed  son  of  Jahveh.  In  the  antistrophe  Jaliveh  is 
seen  quietly  laughing  at  their  uneasiness,  deriding  their 
vain  devices,  speaking  in  anger  to  those  who  are  rising 
up  in  rebellion,  and  terrifying  with  his  wrath  the  plotting 
assembly,  all  culminating  in  the  decisive  word  that  God 
had  already  installed  the  Messiah. 

The  second  part  of  the  psalm  introduces  the  Messiah 
himself  as  speaking ;  telling  of  a  decree  of  Jahveh  which 

1  "We  disregard  the  accents  of  lines  4  and  5,  and  attach  ^^"Ip^J 
to  the  previous  line,  and  thus  make  a  better  rhythm. 

2 13  is  rendered  "  son  "  in  the  Peshitto  and  modern  Versions.  But 
the  E.  V.  in  the  margin  rightly  calls  attention  to  the  renderings  of 
the  ancient  Versions.  The  Targum  renders,  "receive  instruction;" 
the  LXX.  Ipa^otads  'TTuiliixg  ;  the  Vulgate,  appreheridite  cUsciplinam. 
They  take  13  as  the  Aramaic  noun,  meaning  "  instruction,"  "  jDiety." 
Aquilla,  Symmachus  and  Jerome  render,  "  worship  in  purity,"  and 
take  12  as  meaning  "pure,"  "clear."  The  rendering  "son"  has 
only  the  Peshitto  in  its  favour.  The  word  is  only  found  once  in 
Hebrew,  in  Prov.  xxxi.  2,  which  is  distinguished  by  other 
Aramaisms.  The  Peshitto's  authority  is  weakened  by  the  fact  that 
it  follows  its  own  dialect.  Our  psalm  uses  the  Hebrew  p  for  son 
in  ii.  2.  Moreover,  the  absence  of  the  article  is  hard  to  explain  with 
this  meaning.  The  previous  line  exhorts  to  reverence  Jahveh,  and 
the  following  context  is  referred  more  naturally  to  Him.  The  con- 
text urges  that  we  should  have  here  some  expression  of  reverence 
and  submission  to  Jaliveh.  Moreover,  we  should  expect  "  kiss  the 
sceptre,"  rather  than  "  kiss  the  son."  The  ancient  Versions,  with 
the  exception  of  the  Peshitto,  give  strong  external  authority  in 
favour  of  the  rendering  to  which  the  context  tends.  This  is  best 
given  by  taking  12  as  a  proper  Hebrew  word,  with  the  meaning 
"  pure,"  "  sincere,"  and  by  translating  "  render  sincere  homage  ;  " 
for  the  kiss  is  the  kiss  of  homage  and  not  of  affection.  The  rhythmical 
arrangement  that  we  have  given  favours  this  view. 


THE  MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  DAVIDIC  PERIOD  137 

entitled  him  to  the  rank  of  sonship  and  dominion  over 
the  nations.  The  antistrophe  of  this  part  is  a  warning 
to  those  inclined  to  rebellion,  that  they  submit  themselves 
with  sincere  homage  to  the  divinely-enthroned  monarch. 
The  cited  decree  reminds  us  of  the  oracle  of  Ps.  ex. 
and  the  promise,  2  Sam.  vii. ;  but  the  contents  of  the 
decree  are  somewhat  different  from  either  of  these  pre- 
dictions. We  have  therefore  another  and  an  independent 
divine  communication.  There  is  an  advance  upon 
the  conception  of  Ps.  ex.  There  the  Messiah  was 
called  to  the  right  hand  of  Jahveh,  and  rides  forth  to  the 
battle  at  the  head  of  an  army  of  priest  -  kings  to  the 
victory  over  the  nations.  Here  the  Messiah  is  calmly 
seated  at  the  right  hand  of  Jahveh  in  the  relation  of  son- 
ship,  enthroned  on  Mount  Zion,  and  rebuking  his  enemies 
with  a  divine  decree,  which  entitles  him  to  his  position, 
with  all  its  prerogatives  of  sovereignty.  The  relation  of 
sonship  is  emphasized.  The  subjugation  of  the  rebellious 
is  represented  as  the  inevitable  result  of  his  irresistible 
power.     The  conquest  of  Ps.  ex.  is  presupposed.^ 

VI.    THE  EIGHTEOUS  KING. 

§  45.  Psalm  LXXII.  rejpresents  the  Messianic  hing  riding 
in  righteousness,  mercy  and  peace,  receiving  the  homage  of 
the  nations,  the  source  and  olject  of  universal  blessing. 

The  psalm  presents  the  aspirations  of  Israel  for  the 
Messianic   king,  and,  with  a  prayer  for  divine   endow- 

^  The  decree  is  cited  by  Paul  in  Acts  xiii.  33  and  Eom.  i.  4,  and 
rightly  applied  to  the  enthronement  of  Jesus  the  Messiah  at  the 
right  hand  of  God  in  heaven  at  His  ascension.  In  the  Epistle  to  the 
Hebrews  (i.  5)  it  is  combined  with  2  Sam.  vii.,  and  referred  to  the 
enthroned  Jesus.  In  Acts  (iv.  25)  the  fruitless  rebellion  of  the 
nations  is  applied  to  the  gathering  together  of  Herod  and  Pilate, 
the  Gentiles  and  the  people  of  Israel  against  the  crown  rights  of 
Jesus.  These  New  Testament  writers  clearly  discern  the  essential 
features  of  the  prediction  as  fulfilled  in  the  antitype  of  Solomon. 


138  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

ments,  predicts  the  character  of  the  monarch  and  his 
reign.  None  but  Solomon  could  present  the  type  for 
such  an  ideal.  Each  of  the  three  strophes  begins  with  a 
prayer.  They  correspond  with  the  prayer  of  Solomon 
for  wisdom  at  Gibeon  and  at  the  dedication  of  the 
temple.  Never  before  or  subsequently  has  there  been 
such  a  reign  of  peace  and  glory  in  Israel.  The  predic- 
tions of  the  Messianic  king  were  pointed  in  a  more 
peaceful  direction  by  the  reign  of  Solomon.  We  observe 
in  this  psalm  a  further  unfolding  of  the  blessings  of  the 
nations,  which  have  been  presented  already  in  the 
Abrahamic  promise,  but  have  assumed  in  the  subsequent 
predictions  of  Jacob,  Balaam  and  the  previous  psalms  the 
form  of  subjugation  and  crushing.  Here  the  sceptre  of 
iron  is  transformed  into  a  sceptre  of  reconciliation  and 
peace. 

I.  "  O  God,  give  thy  judgments  ^  to  a  king,  and  thy  righteous- 
ness to  a  king's  son. 
He  will    judge  thy    people  with  righteousness,   and   thine 

afflicted  with  judgment. 
The  mountains  will  bear  peace  for  the  people,  and  the  hilk 

in  righteousness. 
He  will  judge  the  afflicted  of  the  people,  save  the  sons  of  the 

poor,  and  he  will  crush  oppressors. 
They  will  fear  thee  as  long  as  the  sun,  and  before  the  moon 

through  all  generations. 
He  will   come    down  like  rain  upon  the  mown  grass  :    as 

showers  will  he  water  the  land. 
In  his  days  wiU   the  righteous  flourish  ;    and   abundance  of 

peace  till  the  moon  be  no  more. 

^  The  Revised  Version  neglects  the  jussives  of  vers.  8  and  15 
and  renders  them  as  futures.  The  margin  renders  them  and  the 
common  forms  of  the  imperfect  that  follow,  all  alike  as  jussives. 
Both  are  wrong  in  neglecting  the  dillerenees  in  form  and  meaning. 
The  strophes  begin  with  the  jussives  of  petition  and  then  change 
into  the  imperfects  of  prediction.  The  Eevised  Version  entirely 
misses  the  rhythm.  The  psalm  is  a  hexameter  with  occasional 
pentameters  and  tetrameters. 


THE  MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  DAVIDIC  PERIOD.        139 

II.  Yea,  let  him  rule  from  sea  to  sea ;  and  from  the  river  unto 

the  ends  of  the  earth. 
Before  him  they  that  dwell  in  the  wilderness  ^  will  bow  ; 

his  enemies  will  lick  the  dust. 
Kings  of  Tarshish  and  the  isles  will  render  tribute,^ 
Kings  of  Sheba  and  Seba  will  bring  gifts, 
Yea,  all  kings  will  do  obeisance  to  him  :  all  nations  will 

serve  him.^ 
He  will  have  pity  upon  the  weak  and  poor  ;  and  the  persons 

of  the  poor  will  he  save  ; 
From  oppression  and  from  violence  he  will  redeem  their  life  ; 

and  precious  will  their  blood  be  in  his  eyes. 

III.    Yea,  let  him  live ;  and  let  them  give  him  of  the  gold  of  Sheba : 
And  let  them  pray  for  him  continually ;  all  the  day  bless  him. 
Let  there  be  abundance  of  grain  in  the  land,* — 
On  the  top  of  the  mountains  it  will  rustle  with  its  fruit  like 

Lebanon, 
Yea,  they  will  bloom  out  of  the  city  as  the  grass  of  the  earth. 
Let  his  name  be  for  ever  ;  before  the  sun  let  his  name  sprout 

forth.s 
And  all  nations  will  bless  themselves  ^  with  him  ;  they  will 

pronounce  him  happy." 


1  QNi^f  =  the  animals  or  tribes  of  the  dry  and  waterless  wastes. 

^  "l^DtJ'tC,  a  noun,  only  used  here  and  Ez.  xxvii.  15,  is  formed  by 
prefix  K  from  13 L^.     It  means  gift,  hwe,  tribute. 

^  There  is  an  interpolation  between  the  fifth  and  sixth  lines,  as 
we  can  see  by  comparing  Job  xxix.  12 — 

"b  nry  |\si  ^m  y^^o  n"'3x  h'^T  '•a 

The  clause  with  "i^  is  different  from  all  the  other  clauses  of  the 
previous  and  subsequent  context,  which  are  all  clauses  of  direct 
statement  in  future  indicatives  in  the  progressive  parallelism. 

*  Line  3  of  strophe  III.  is  a  broken  line  in  order  to  gain  a 
metrical  pause.  The  Revised  Version  follows  the  accents  and  misses 
the  movement  here  and  in  the  following  line. 

*  pi'',  Hiph.  of  p^  The  Qeri  has  p:>,  Niph.  The  word  is  only 
found  here.  It  means  to  sprout^  produce  fruit.  Jinnon  is  a 
Talmudic  name  for  the  Messiah,  based  on  this  passage  (Schottgen, 
de  Messia,  p.  4)  and  Talmud,  Synhed.  986. 

^  D''13  i^D  U  1D"i3n"'  is  based  on  the  Abrahamic  promise,  Gen.  xYii 
18,  xxvi.  4.     (See  p.  89.) 


140  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

The  reign  of  Solomon  was  marked  by  a  multitude  of 
tributary  gifts  and  voluntary  presents  sent  by  many 
nations  and  presented  by  their  princes  to  the  wise  and 
great  monarch.  Egypt,  Phoenicia,  Sheba,  Tarshish,  and 
possibly  India  honoured  him  with  gifts.  This  made  it 
possible  to  see  in  him  the  reflection  of  the  Messiah 
receiving  the  grateful  offerings  of  the  nations.  The 
universality  of  the  blessing  is  well  brought  out.  It 
attains  a  climax  in  the  closing  reiteration  of  the 
Abrahamic  blessing.  There  is  also  an  unfolding  of  the 
blessing  of  the  holy  land  in  the  line  of  the  prediction 
of  Jacob. 


Vn.    THE  BRIDAL  OF  THE  MESSIAH. 

§  46.  Psalm  XLV.  re'j^rescnts  the  Messianic  king  in 
Godlike  majesty  as  a  hridcgroom  espousing  and  rejoicing 
over  the  nations  as  his  brides. 

The  occasion  for  the  composition  of  this  psalm  was 
probably  the  marriage  of  Jorani  of  Judah  with  Athalia 
of  Israel.-^  But  it  matters  little  if  some  other  monarch 
be  regarded  as  tlie  type.  The  Psalmist  contemi)lates  the 
glories  of  the  bridegroom,  the  splendours  of  the  bridal 
ceremony,  and  the  joys  of  the  marriage.  These  mirror 
to  him  the  bridal  of  the  Messiah  with  the  nations. 
There  is  an  advance  from  Ps.  ii.,  which  presents  the 
absolute  authority  and  permanence  of  the  reign  of  the 
Messiah  over  the  nations,  through  Ps.  Ixxii.,  which 
describes  the  blessings  of  that  reign,  to  Ps.  xlv., 
which  represents  the  relation  of  the  Messiah  to  the 
nations  as  a  marriage  relation.  The  psalm  is  com- 
posed of  three  rapidly  increasing  strophes  with  refrains ; 
the  external  form  corresponds  with  the  swell  of  the 
description. 

^  See  Delitzsch,  Fsalmen,  4  Aufl.  p.  359,  Leipzig  1883. 


THE  MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  DAVIDIC  PEKIOD.        141 

I.  "  My  heart  swells  with  a  goodly  matter  : 
I  am  saying  my  work  respecting  a  king  : 
My  tongue  is  the  pen  of  a  ready  wi'iter, 
Thou  art  fairer  than  the  children  of  men  ; 
Grace  has  been  poured  out  on  thy  lips  ; 

Therefore  God  hath  blessed  thee  for  ever. 

II.  Gird  thy  sword  upon  thy  thigh, 
O  hero,^  thy  glory  and  thy  majesty  ; 
In  thy  majesty  prosper,  ride  on. 

In  behalf  of  faithfulness  and  meekness, — righteousness  ;* 
That  thy  right  hand  may  show  thee  wonders. 
Thine  arrows  are  sharp  ; 
Peoples  fall  under  thee  ; 
Thou  art  in  the  midst  ^  of  the  king's  enemies. 
Thy  throne,  0  divine  one,*  is  for  ever  and  ever : 
A  sceptre  of  equity  is  the  sceptre  of  thy  kingdom  ; 
Thou  dost  love  righteousness  and  hate  wickedness  : 
Therefore  God,  thy  God,  hath  anointed  thee. 

^  The  Massoretic  accents  are  wrong.  The  rhythm,  parallelism,  and 
assonance  favour  the  arrangement 

^mni  11)7]  -lua 

^  p1^"niiy  is  anomalous,     nijy  is  not  a  construct,  but  an  absolute 

shortened  because  of  the  MakJceph.  py^  is  therefore  in  apposition 
with  it.     The  LXX.  inserts  «a/. 

3  D72  is  not  to  be  connected  with  arrows,  but  with  the  monarch, 
who  is  represented  as  pressing  into  the  midst  of  his  enemies, 
as  in  Ps.  ex.  2,  "]^n''J<  mp3.     Comp.  Ex.  xv.  8,  D^"a^3. 

*  DTlPi^  *1^^D^.  The  most  natural  interpretation  is  to  take  D'Tli'J^ 
as  vocative,  and  conclude  that  the  monarch  is  addressed  as  divine. 
This  is  not  strange  to  ancient  poetry.  The  great  kings  reflect  the 
divine  majesty,  and  in  a  sense  partake  of  the  divine  nature.  Comp. 
Ps.  viii.  5,  Ixxxii.  6,  John  x.  35,  where  D\1/X  is  used  for  the 
exalted  monarchs  and  heavenly  intelligences.  The  Messianic  king 
is  pre-eminently  the  son  of  God,  and  as  such  might  with  projn-iety 
be  addressed  as  DTl^J^,  without  any  thought  of  confounding  him 
with  the  one  God  of  Jewish  faith.  Hupfeld,  Moll,  et  al.^  take  ")S<DD 
as  construct  before  DTli^i^,  notwithstanding  the  suffix,  and  refer  to 
several  passages  where  they  find  a  corresponding  usage.  But  these 
may  all  be  explained  in  another  way,  so  that  this  usage  is  not 
sufficiently  sustained.  Ewald,  Hitzig,  et  al.^  regard  DN"!??^  as  predi- 
cate, the  substantive  being  used  as  an  adjective,  and  render,  "  My 
throne  is  divine  ; "  but  this  lacks  justification  in  Hebrew  usage. 


142  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

III.  O,  oil  of  joy  1  above  thy  fellows, — 
Myrrh  and  aloes, — cassia — 
All  thy  garments  are  from  ivory  palaces, 
Whence  ^  kings'  daughters  make  thee  glad. 
In  thy  precious  things  the  queen  doth  stand. 
At  thy  right  hand  in  gold  of  Ojjhir. 
Hearken,  daughter,  consider  and  incline  thine  ear, 
And  forget  thy  people  and  thy  father's  house ; 
And  let  the  king  desire  thy  beauty  : 
Since  he  is  thy  lord,  do  homage  to  him ; 
And  the  daughter  of  Tyre  will  come  with  a  gift, 
The  richest  nations  will  court  thy  face. 
All  glorious  is  the  king's  daughter  ; 
The  inner  palace  ^  is  of  tissue  of  gold  : 


^  "We  divide  the  strophe  here  (a)  because  the  refrain  seems  to  be 
but  a  single  line  at  the  close  of  the  three  strophes  ;  (6)  the  strophes 
thus  gain  the  proper  number  of  lines  to  make  a  regular  proportion 
in  the  increase,  each  strophe  in  turn  doubling  its  predecessor  in  the 
swell  of  the  song  ;  (c)  the  anointing  of  the  refrain  is  weakened  by 
the  limitation  of  it  to  joy,  for  it  was  the  anointing  of  the  instal- 
lation ;  {d)  the  strophe  appropriately  begins  with  the  theme  that 
characterizes  it,  namely,  the  joy  of  the  bridegroom.  Accordingly 
the  king  is  represented  as  himself  the  oil  of  joy.  He  is  sur- 
rounded with  all  the  delightful  odours  and  plants,  so  that  he  himself 
concentrates  them  and  embodies  them  (see  Song  of  Songs  L  3, 
iv.  13  seq.). 

2  "tjio  is  explained  (a)  as  an  incorrect  form  of  njDD  or  "ii?OD,  and 
thus  parallel  with  the  previous  ♦o.  The  LXX.  renders  l|  au  nv(Dpct,va.v 
ai.  This  would  favour  a  reading  "Ji'D,  for  this  song,  like  the  Song 
of  Songs,  belongs  to  the  dialect  of  Samaria,  where  ~^  is  used  for 
yi^^'  This  by  mistake  would  be  reduced  to  iJD.  This  gives  the 
proper  sense.  The  ivory  palaces  are  then  the  boxes  that  contained 
the  })recious  garments  of  the  bridegroom,  possibly  made  by  the 
hands  of  the  princesses  to  gratify  him.  (6)  A  favourite  interpretation 
in  recent  times  is  to  take  ""JD  as  a  defective  form  of  CiiJO  =  stringed 

instruments,  and  to  think  of  the  music  of  the  marriage.  So  E.V. 
after  Ewald,  Hupfeld,  Delitzsch,  Eiehm,  Perowne,  et  al.  But  this 
is  nothing  more  than  an  attractive  and  fashionable  theory,  (c)  The 
Targum  takes  it  as  Minni  =  Armenia  ;  but  there  is  nothing  to  sustain 
this  conjecture. 

®  The  RV.  attaches  nD"'32  to  the  king's  daughter,  and  renders  it 

"  within  the  palace,"  thinking  that  she  had  already  entered.  But 
this  is  against  the  following  context,  which  represents  her  as  being 


THE  MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  DAVIDIC  PERIOD.        143 

Her  clothing  is  of  embroidery  :  * 
She  is  conducted  to  the  king  : 
The  virgins  follow  after  her, 
Her  companions  are  conducted  to  thee, 
They  are  conducted  with  joy  and  exultation, 
They  are  brought  into  the  king's  palace. 
Instead  of  thy  fathers  may  thy  children  be, 
Whom  thou  wilt  set  as  princes  in  all  the  earth. 
Let  me  celebrate  thy  name  in  all  generations. 

Therefore  peoples  will  praise  thee  for  ever." 

The  Messianic  bridegroom  is  Godlike,  but  he  is  not 
identified  with  God  in  this  psalm.  As  the  son  of 
God,  the  anointed,  he  bears  the  divine  majesty  and 
reflects  the  divine  glory.^ 


Vm.  THE  ADVENT  OF  JAHVEH  AS  DELIVERER. 

§  47.  Jaliveh  comes  in  tJieopJiany  for  the  deliverance 
of  Ms  anointed^  the  suhjugation  of  his  enemies,  and  the 
extension  of  his  dominion, 

Ps.  xviii.  is  one  of  the  choicest  hymns  in  the 
Psalter.  It  is  of  eight  strophes,  of  fourteen  trimeter 
lines  each.  It  is  probably  Davidic  in  origin,  as  it  seems 
to  reflect  his  historic  experience.  But  his  experience 
is  idealized,  and  therein  the   Messianic  element  appears. 

conducted  to  the  king.  It  is  best  therefore  to  discard  the  accents 
and  connect  this  word  with  the  next  line.  The  poet  then  describes 
the  interior  of  the  palace  as  decorated  with  tissue  of  gold. 

^  The  lines  now  become  dimeters  to  increase  the  vigour  of  the 
description  and  make  the  movement  more  rapid  and  abrupt. 

i?t:h  bin 
nnnx  mijini 

^  This  is  cited  in  Heb.  i.  9,  together  with  extracts  from  Ps.  ii.,  ex., 
and  2  Sam.  vii.,  to  show  the  exalted  nature  of  Christ's  sonship  and 
His  elevation  above  angels.  The  marriage  of  the  son  of  David  with 
the  daughter  of  the  nations,  represents  the  marriage  of  the  Messiah 
with  His  Church  (John  ill.  29  ;  Eph.  v.  25  \  Eev.  xix.  7-9). 


144  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

The  psalm  is  given  in  another  text  with  some  important 
variations  in  2  Sam.  xxii.  By  a  careful  examination  of 
these  two  texts  and  their  versions,  we  have  adopted 
the  text  that  lies  at  the  basis  of  the  translation  that 
follows. 

The  adoption  of  David  and  his  seed  into  the  relation 
of  divine  sonship  secures  them  the  favour,  the  everlasting 
mercy,  and  occasional  interpositions  of  God  in  their  behalf. 
The  psalm  described  such  an  interposition  in  the  coming 
of  God  in  theophany  to  deliver  the  Psalmist  from  great 
trouble.  It  then  describes  the  exaltation  of  David,  the 
subjugation  of  his  enemies,  the  extension  of  his  rule 
to  distant  nations,  and  the  praise  of  God  among  them 
for  the  wonders  He  has  wrought. 

"  Thou  hast  delivered  me  ^  from  the  strivings  of  my  people  ; 
Thou  wilt  set  me  ^  at  the  head  of  the  nations  : 
A  people  I  know  not  will  serve  me, 
At  the  hearing  of  the  ear  will  they  obey  me ;  * 
Strangers  will  fawn  ^  upon  me, 
Strangers  will  fade  away  from  their  strongholds.* 
Jahveh  liveth,  and  blessed  be  my  rock  ;  ^ 
Yea,  exalted  be  the  God  of  my  salvation  : 
The  ^El  who  taketh  vengeance  for  me, 


^  The  readings  '•itDPSni  and  ^loj;  of  Samuel  are  to  be  preferred  on 
account  of  their  closer  historical  application. 

2  The  reading  '':D''E^'n  of  the  psalm  is  to  be  preferred  to  "'3"lDtJ*n, 
because  it  is  more  consistent  with  the  context. 

3  This  line  is  transposed  with  the  following  in  Samuel :  the  paral- 
lelism of  the  psalm  is  simpler. 

*  The  Hithpael  IL^n^n*'  of  Samuel  is  to  be  preferred  to  the  Piel  of 
the  psalm. 

^  The  text  of  Samuel  inserts  "|"i!in''1  by  repetition  from  the 
kindred  letters  (Dn)')"l)lD?D(D)  that  follow.  It  gives  no  good  sense, 
and  makes  the  line  too  long.  The  psalm  by  transposition  of  two 
radicals  reads  i:iin''l,  and  gives  a  good  sense.  The  line  in  both  cases 
is  too  long.  The  B.V.  breaks  up  the  line  into  two  short  lines,  and 
spoils  the  strophe.  Both  are  alike  insertions,  and  should  be  stricken 
out. 

*  Samuel  inserts  Tjj;,  which  is  possibly  original. 


THE  MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  DAVIDIC  PERIOD.        145 

And  who  bringeth  down  peoples  under  me,^ 

Who  bringeth  me  out  from  my  enemies,^ 

Yea,  he  will  lift  me  up  above  those  rising  against  me  : 

From  the  violent  ^  thou  wilt  deliver  me  ; 

Therefore  I  shall  give  thee  thanks  among  the  nations, 

To  thy  name  will  I  sing  praises,  Jahveh  ;  * 

Who  magnifies  the  great  salvation  of  his  king, 

And  shows  mercy  to  his  anointed, 

To  David  and  to  his  seed  for  ever." 

— 2  Sam.  xxii.  44-51  :  Ps.  xviii.  43-50. 


IX.  JAHVEH  THE  VICTORIOUS  KING. 

§  48.  Psalm  XXIV,  re^presents  Jahveh  Sahaoth  entering 
the  holy  city  as  the  triumphant  King  of  Israel. 

The  removal  of  the  ark  of  the  covenant  from  the 
house  of  Obed-Edom  to  Jerusalem^  by  David,  in  a 
festival  procession  of  great  magnificence,  was  a  turning- 
point  in  the  history  of  Israel.  It  united  the  residence 
of  Jahveh,  the  great  King  of  Israel,  to  the  residence  of 
the  dynasty  of  David,  which  had  been  selected  by  him 
for  the  Messianic  king.  There  can  be  little  doubt  that 
the  second  half  of  the  24th  psalm  was  composed  with 
this  event  in  view,  whether  it  belong  to  the  first  part  of 
the  psalm  or  not.  The  psalm  is  antiphonal,  with 
responsive  voices  and  a  chorus. 


^  The  psalm  reads  niT'l,  but  it  is  an  Aramaism,  and  is  difficult 
to  explain  with  its  1  consec.  The  clause  appears  in  Ps.  xlvii.  4, 
and  may  have  been  unconsciously  assimilated  by  a  copyist  owing 
to  the  similar  letters  of  the  original  participle  which  is  preserved  in 
*V^'0  of  Samuel.     The  context  requires  a  participle. 

^  The  '•S^VID  of  Samuel  is  better  suited  to  the  context. 

^  DDH  C^''N  is  not  violent  man,  as  if  an  individual  were  thought 
of.  But  Ej^it^  is  a  noun  of  relation,  and  the  phrase  means,  violent 
fellow,  or  the  violent. 

*  n^n^  makes  the  previous  line  too  long.  By  transposing  it  the 
lines  become  correct  trimeters. 

*  2  Sam,  vi. ;  1  Chron.  xv. 


146  MESSIANIC  PKOPHECY. 

r"Lift  up  your  heads,  O  ye  gates  ; 
Chorus.  -<Yea,  lift  yourselves,^  ye  everlasting  doors: 

(That  the  King  of  Glory  may  come  in. 

Inquiry.  Who,  then,^  is  the  King  of  Glory  ? 

(Jahveh,  strong  and  mighty, 
( Jahveh,  mighty  in  battle. 

(  Lift  up  your  heads,  O  ye  gates, 
Chorus.         <  Yea,  lift  them,  ye  everlasting  dooi-s  ; 
(  That  the  King  of  Glory  may  come  in. 

Inquiry.  Who  is  he,^  the  King  of  Glory  ? 

„  (Jahveh  Sabaoth, 

Response.       | He  is  the  King  of  Glory." 

Jahveh  the  triumphant  King  of  Israel  enters  the  city 
that  He  has  selected  as  His  residence  and  everlasting 
capital.  He  has  conquered  all  His  enemies,  and  is  to 
reign  from  thence  over  all,  and  manifest  His  glory  to 
the  nations.^ 


X.  THE  IDEAL  MAIT. 

§  49.  The  ideal  man  in  his  humility  is  a  little  "below 
the  heavenly  intelligences  in  dignity^  hut  is  exalted  to 
dominion  over  all  C7xatures. 


^  li^C'jn  is  Niphal,  and  is  reflexive  rather  than  i:>assive.  The  gates 
are  personified,  and  called  upon  to  rise  up  and  extend  themselves 
in  every  way,  so  as  to  give  worthy  entrance  to  a  monarch  of  such 
majesty  and  glory. 

2  nt  is  used  to  emphasize  the  interrogative,  as  frequently  in 
Hebrew.  It  is  incorrectly  rendered  ^^this  king"  in  A.V.^  and  is 
altogether  ignored  in  R.V.  In  ver.  10  it  is  enlarged  to  nt  Sin  ""D. 
This  is  incorrectly  rendered  by  II.V.  and  A.V.,  as  if  it  were  ">0 
ntn  *Tl33n  ^bo-  The  inquiry  is.  Who  is  this  one  ?  namely,  the  King 
of  Glory,  the  one  you  are  praising  so  greatly. 

^  The  triumphant  entrance  of  Jahveh  into  Zion  is  the  type  of  the 
ascension  of  the  Messiah,  Jesus,  to  the  heavenly  Zion  after  His 
triumphant  resurrection. 


THE  MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  DAVIDIC  PERIOD.        147 

I.  "  Jahve\  our  Lord, 

How  excellent  is  thy  name  in  all  the  earth  ! 
Thou  whose  glory  doth  extend  ^  over  the  hccavens, 
Out  of  the  mouth  of  little  children  and  sucklings, 
Thou  dost  establish  strength  because  of  thine  adversaries, 
To  silence  the  enemy  and  the  avenger. 
When  I  see  thy  heavens,  the  work  of  thy  fingers, 
Moon  and  stars  which  thou  hast  prepared. 
What  is  frail  man,  that  thou  shouldest  be  mindful  of  him  % 
Or  the  son  of  man,  that  thou  visitest  him  % 

II.  When  thou  didst  make  him  a  little  lower  ^  than  the  divine  beings,^ 
With  glory  and  honour  crowning  him  ; 

Thou  madest  him  to  have  dominion  over  the  works  of  thine  hands. 
All  things  thou  didst  put  under  his  feet ; 
Sheep  and  oxen  all  of  them. 
And  also  beasts  of  the  field, 


^  n^n  is  in  form  a  cohortative  imperative  of  jfiJ.  Bottcher  regards 
it  as  a  permissive  imperative,  and  renders,  "  mayest  thou  thyself  set 
thy  glory  in  the  heaven."  Gesenius  renders,  "  which  glory  of  thine 
set  thou  above  the  heavens."  But  this  is  against  the  context,  which 
is  a  praise  of  God's  glory  as  manifest,  and  not  a  petition  that  it 
may  be  displayed.  Kimchi,  Delitzsch,  and  others  take  it  as  infin. 
const,  for  the  usual  nn  =  n^n  =  HiH,  like  mi  for  ni"l  (Gen.  xlvi. 
3).  The  E.V.  follows  the  Peshitto  and  Jerome,  Hupfeld  and 
Perowne,  in  rendering  "  who  hast  set ; "  as  if  the  form  were  "^^^3. 
But  it  is  better  to  follow  the  LXX.  Wv^ph,  with  Ewald,  Eiehm, 
Hitzig,  and  read  njn^  as  a  cognate  stem  with  njn  =  stretch  out, 
extend. 

2  imonril.  The  l  consec.  imperf.  cannot  be  rendered  as  in  R.V., 
"  For  thou  hast."  It  begins  a  new  strophe,  and  is  preceded  by 
imperfects,  to  which  it  cannot  be  in  consecution.  We  regard  it  as 
the  protasis  of  a  temporal  clause  with  the  historic  imperfect  in  the 
apodosis. 

^  □"•ni'i^O  is  rendered  by  the  ancient  Versions  and  New  Testament 
citation  (Heb.  ii.  7),  so  also  A. V.  :  "  angelsP  This  is  not  strictly 
correct,  because  it  would  exclude  the  divine  Being  Himself.  But  it 
is  incorrect  to  think  of  the  divine  Being  alone  as  in  the  R.V. 
DTl^JK  refers  to  the  divine  beings,  the  godhke  ones,  the  heavenly 
intelligences,  who  reflect  the  divine  majesty.  Hupfeld  and  Heng- 
stenberg  render  by  the  abstract  '■'■  dimnity ;^^  so  Perowne,  "little 
lower  than  God,  or  little  less  than  divine."  But  this  lacks  sufficient 
justification. 


148  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

Birds  of  lieaven  and  fishes  of  the  sea, 

Those  that  pass  through  the  paths  of  the  seaa 

Jahveh^  our  Lord^ 

How  excellent  is  thy  name  in  all  the  earth  ! " 

Tliis  beautiful  little  psalm  may  be  regarded  as  a 
reminiscence  of  the  original  endowment  of  mankind  as 
given  in  the  Poem  of  the  Creation.-^  First,  the  humility 
of  man  is  presented  over  against  the  glory  of  God.  In 
dignity  he  was  made  to  fall  a  little  short  of  those  divine 
beings  who  are  associated  with  God  as  heavenly  intel- 
ligences, or,  as  we  would  now  say,  the  angels.  He  is 
yet  crowned  with  glory  and  honour,  and  with  dominion 
over  all  creatures.  This  dominion  of  man  is  his  original 
endowment,  the  ideal  after  which  he  is  to  strive  all  his 
life.  It  is  the  ideal  of  the  human  race  as  such.  The 
psalm  presents  that  ideal  manhood  which  is  first  realized 
in  the  second  Adam,  who  achieved  the  ideal  for  Himself 
and  the  race.^ 


XI.    THE  IDEAL  MAN  TEIUMPHANT  IN  DEATH. 

§  50.  Psalm  XVI.  is  a  typical  Messianic  psalm,  present- 
ing the  ideal  man  enjoying  the  favour  of  God  in  a  happy 
lot  in  life,  and  in  communion  with  God  after  departing 
from  life. 

Psahn  xvi.  is  composed  of  three  strophes  of  eight 
trmieter  lines  each. 


1  See  §  28. 

2  The  Messiah  at  His  advent  seems  to  have  kept  this  ideal  in 
mind  in  His  favourite  term  for  Himself,  o  vUg  to^  dv^puTrov,  used  no 
less  than  fifty  different  times  in  the  Gospels  (seventy- eight  if  we 
count  the  parallel  passages  ;  Keim,  Jcsil  von  Nazara^  ii.  66).  For 
this  term  indicates  in  the  usage  of  Jesus  at  once  His  humility  and 
His  destiny  as  the  second  Adam. 


THE  MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  DAVIDIC  PERIOD.        149 

"  Preserve  me,  ^El,  for  I  seek  refuge  in  thee. 

I  say  ^  to  Jahveh,  '  Thou  art  my  Lord  :  ^ 

Is  not  my  good  dependent  on  ^  thee  ? ' 

(I  say)  to  the  saints  *  which  are  in  the  land, 

*  My  nobles,^  in  whom  is  all  my  delight.' 

Their  sorrows  will  be  multiplied  who  exchange  for  another. 


^  fl"!^X  is  pointed  as  2  fern.  perf.  We  must  then  supply  the  sub- 
ject '•^aj,  as  the  Targum  and  margin  of  E.Y.  But  this  is  awkward, 
and  is  thought  of  only  as  the  easiest  way  of  explaining  the  Masso- 
retic  points.  Disregarding  them,  we  may  take  the  form  as  the  1st 
pers.  perf.,  with  final  >  elided,  like  the  Aramaic  mpj^-  So  LXX., 
Vulgate,  and  E.Y.    Gesenius,  Hupfeld,  Ewald,  Perowne.    Indeed  n 

occurs  in  two  MSS.,  De  Eossi,  and  also  in  Ps.  cxl.  13  ;  Job  xlii.  2  ; 
1  Kings  viii.  48  ;  Ezek.  vi.  69. 

^  '•yikS  is  the  divine  name  Lord.  But  the  ancient  Versions  render 
"  My  Lord ;"  so  E.V.  The  pointing  should  then  be  changed  to  "lyix. 
Hupfeld  thinks  that  the  "• —  is  to  distinguish  the  form  from  "•yij^, 

"  my  lords  ; "  but  such  a  change  is  no  more  likely  in  this  case  than 
in  other  emphatic  plurals,  and  it  runs  the  greater  risk  of  being 
mistaken  for  the  divine  name  itself. 

^  7V  is  variously  explained — {a)  by  Ewald,  Delitzsch  and  E.V., 
"owr  beyond;"  (b)  by  Eiehm  and  Moll,  "wi  addition  to;''  (c)  by 
Kimchi  and  Eashi,  "  incumbent  upon."  Hupfeld  gives  ^2  the  mean- 
ing "  only," — but  without  sulficient  authority  in  usage,  and  renders, 
"my  happiness  rests  only  upon  thee."  Perowne  changes  ^2  into 
*>;:,  and  renders,  "  my  happiness  rests  ivholly  upon  thee."  The  LXX. 
and  Vulgate  render,  "  since  thou  hast  no  need  of  my  goods ; " 
giving  py  the  meaning  of  "  for,"  "  for  the  profit  of,"  as  if  it  were 
PJ5.  The  Peshitto  renders,  "  my  good  is  from  thee  ;"  and  Jerome, 
"  non  est  sine  te."    We  prefer  to  regard  the  clause  as  interrogative. 

*  D''k^npb.  Ewald  gives  ^  the  force  of  "as /or,"  "as  regards;" 
Hupfeld,  Moll,  and  Perowne,  "  belonging  to."  It  is  best  to  regard 
it  as  parallel  with  nirT'S  and  thus  the  indirect  object  of  mD^^. 

^  ''■}*''n5<  is  regarded  by  Gesenius  {Lekrg.  §  176c?)  as  a  construct 

for  the  absolute.  But  this  is  bad  grammar.  It  is  a  construct  before 
the  relative  clause  that  follows,  if  we  retain  the  Massoretic  points. 
But  it  is  better  to  point  n^'nNI  ="my  nobles."    The  LXX,  Vulgate 

and  Arabic  Versions  take  the  form  as  a  verb,  and  are  followed  by 
Schiirer,   Diestel    and   Kamphausen,   who  read  nnS-     The  chief 

difficulty  remains  in  the  1   and  the  nion.    The  1  is  taken  by  De 


150  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

I  shall  not  oflfer  their  drink-offerings  of  blood,^ 
And  I  shall  not  take  their  names  upon  my  lips. 

II.  Jahveh  is  my  portion,-  my  inheritance  and  my  cup : 
Thou  maintainest  ^  my  lot. 
The  lines  have  fallen  to  me  in  pleasantness ;  * 
Yea,  I  have  a  goodly  heritage. 
I  shall  bless  Jahveh  who  doth  counsel  me : 
Yea,  in  the  dark  night  ^  my  reins  will  teach  me. 
I  have  set  Jahveh  before  me  continually  : 
Since  he  is  on  my  right  hand,  I  shall  not  be  moved. 

III.  Therefore  my  heart  doth  rejoice, 
And  my  glory  ^  exult, 
Yea,  my  flesh  dwells  in  trust ; 
For  thou  wilt  not  abandon  me  myself  to  Sheol, 


"Wette  and  R.Y.  as  introducing  the  apodosis  ;  but  it  involves  a 
transfer  of  the  nDH,  and  if  this  is  to  be  done  it  is  still  better  to 
transfer  the  l  to  D'^D'npi'.  However,  we  may  take  the  1  as  inten- 
sive, "  yea,"  "  verily,"  The  riDH  is  best  taken  as  the  representative 
of  the  copula,  if  the  present  text  is  preserved. 

^  DID.  ]D  is  the  preposition  expressing  the  source  or  material. 
The  drink-offerings  are  regarded  as  consisting  of  blood,  because  they 
were  offered  with  hands  stained  with  bloodshed. 

^  r\2D  is  probably  an  Aramaism  for  TlJIO,  as  rhni  for  ''n!'^^      It 

is  explained  by  Ewald  as  a  construct  of  ni3D  ;  so  Hupfeld  (see  Ps. 
xi.  6,  Ixiii.  11  ;  2  Chron.  xxx.  4). 

^  T'Cin  is  usually  taken  as  Hiph.  of  ']?0S  like  the  Arabic  root, 
meaning  "full,  ample.'"  But  Hupfeld,  Perowne,  Delitzsch  and 
R.V.  regard  it  as  an  irregular  participle  of  '']^n=heldfccst,  maintain. 
Bbttcher  thinks  that  it  is  a  diminutive  of  "])on  =  dear  little  posses- 
sion. The  LXX.  favours  the  pai'ticiple.  But  in  this  case  the 
pointing  should  be  changed.  Ewald  takes  it  as  a  noun,  with  the 
meaning  possession.  This  is  best,  if  the  Massoretic  points  are 
followed. 

*  D^0''Dy3  is  rendered  by  R.V.,  after  Ewald,  Delitzsch,  Perowne 
and  others,  as  lovely  places.  But  it  is  more  properly,  with  Hupfeld, 
BiJttcher  and  Moll,  an  abstract  plural,  meaning  lovelviess,  sweetness. 
So  r\'h'h  is  not  night  seasons,  but  dark  night,  as  in  Song  iii.  1. 

*  nUD  is  a  synonym  of  K^QJ  (comp.  Ps.  vii.  6),  with  reference  to 
personal  honour. 


THE  MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  DAVIDIC  PERIOD.        151 

Thou  wilt  not  suffer  thy  favoured  one  ^  to  see  destruction  ;  ^ 
Thou  wilt  make  known  to  me  the  path  to  life, 
Fulness  of  joys  is  in  thy  ^  presence, 
Pleasures  on  thy  right  hand  for  evermore." 

The  Psalmist  bases  his  hopes  on  having  sought  and 
found  refuge  with  God,  from  whom  comes  all  his  good. 
His  delight  is  in  the  pious  of  the  land,  and  he  will  not 
compromise  himself  with  other  gods  or  with  the  offerings 
of  the  wicked.  His  happy  lot  has  been  assigned  him  by 
God,  and  he  looks  confidently  into  the  future.  He  does 
not  expect  to  escape  death,  but  he  is  assured  that  God 
will  not  forsake  him  when  he  departs  to  Sheol.  He  will 
not  see  destruction  there,  but  will  find  a  path  of  life  and 
will  enjoy  the  presence  of  God,  and  will  be  placed  at 
His  right  hand  for  evermore.  The  Psalmist  has  no 
thought  of  a  resurrection,  but  of  a  blessed  experience  of 
communion  with  God  after  death.  This  ideal  is  a  Messi- 
anic ideal,  first  to  be  attained  by  the  man  in  whom  alone 
God  is  entirely  well  pleased.  It  was  first  through  the 
resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ  that  the  attainment  of  this 
hope  became  possible  and  actual  for  the  human  race.* 

^  ^T'DH-  The  Qeri  is  to  be  preferred  in  accordance  with  the 
ancient  Versions,  the  N.  T.  citations  (Acts  ii.  27,  xiii.  35)  and  ancient 
interpreters  ;  so  Delitzsch,  Perowne  and  others.  It  is  also  most  in 
accordance  with  the  context.  The  Kethibh  Tj^T'Dn  is  the  more  difficult 
reading,  and  on  that  account  is  preferred  by  Ewald,  Hupfeld  and 
others.  But  this  is  the  only  reason  in  its  favour.  The  external 
and  internal  evidence  outweighs  this. 

^  nnt^  is  rendered  by  the  ancient  Versions  except  the  Targum, 
and  by  the  N.  T.  citation,  Acts  ii.  27,  destruction,  corruption,  as  a 
segholate  noun  from  nntJ'  =  to  corrupt,  destroy.  But  Gesenius, 
Ewald,  Hupfeld,  Delitzsch  and  Perowne  render  pit,  as  if  it  were  a 
noun  from  rW  =  to  sink  down,  and  so  parallel  with  b^i^^  ;  but  this 
derivation  is  not  so  easy,  and  the  ancient  authorities  are  to  be 
followed. 

3  ]^j^  =  ^er»  =  in  association  with  the  face  or  presence  of  Jahveh. 

*  Accordingly  Peter  applies  the  passage  directly  to  Jesus  Christ, 
Acts  ii.  27,  and  Paul  in  Acts  xiii.  35,  and  rightly ;  for  although  there 
is  no  thought  of  a  resurrection  from  Sheol  in  the  psalm,  yet  the 


152  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

The  Messianic  idea  in  the  Davidic  period  made  a 
marked  advance  both  on  the  human  and  on  the  di\dne 
sides.  The  ideal  of  the  race  is  presented  in  the  dignity 
of  man  as  falling  a  little  short  of  heavenly  intelligences, 
and  exalted  to  dominion  over  the  creatures.  The  pious 
man  enjoys  the  special  favour  of  God  in  this  life,  and  is 
assured  of  the  continuance  of  that  favour  after  death. 
The  Davidic  king  has  become  the  especial  channel  of 
the  Messianic  ideal.  He  has  been  exalted  to  the  position 
of  divine  sonship,  has  been  enthroned  on  Mount  Zion  as 
a  priest-king,  and  has  received  authority  to  reign  over 
Israel  and  the  nations.  He  conquers  all  enemies,  espouses 
them  as  his  brides,  and  reigns  in  peace  and  righteousness 
over  them  for  ever.  He  is  scourged  by  his  divine  Father 
on  account  of  sin,  but  will  never  be  forsaken  by  the 
divine  mercy.  He  builds  the  temple  of  Jahveh,  and 
enjoys  the  divine  presence  in  his  capital.  He  has  a 
faithful  priesthood  associated  with  him. 

The  divine  side  of  the  Messianic  idea  has  unfolded  in 
parallelism  with  the  human  side.  Jahveh  comes  in 
theophany  to  deliver  His  anointed  and  subdue  his 
enemies.  He  is  a  great  conqueror,  a  King  of  Glory,  who 
battles  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Messiah,  and  triumphs 
over  all  foes.  He  ascends  to  Mount  Zion  to  reign  there 
for  ever.  He  is  the  all-knowing  Judge  who  rights  all 
wrongs,  and  is  especially  gracious  to  the  weak,  the 
afflicted,  and  the  oppressed. 

resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ  for  the  first  time  revealed  to  man  what 
■was  that  blessful  experience  that  the  pious  might  expect  to  enjoy 
with  God  after  death.  There  is  no  thought  of  a  personal  Messiah 
in  the  psalm  ;  yet  in  that  David  and  none  of  his  successors  attained 
the  realization  of  this  blessed  hope,  it  led  on  to  the  Messiah  who  first 
was  able  to  attain  it  for  Himself  and  His  people. 


CHAPTEE  VI. 

MESSIANIC  IDEAS  OF  THE  EARLIER  PROPHETS. 

The  Hebrew  Scriptures  contain  a  collection  of  sacred 
writings  named  by  the  Eabbins,  the  later  prophets,  to 
distinguish  them  from  the  earlier  prophets,  the  historical 
narratives  of  Joshua,  Judges,  Samuel  and  Kings.  These 
are  prophets  in  the  higher  sense. 

Joel. 

The  earliest  of  these  prophets  was  Joel,  who  prophesied 
during  the  first  part  of  the  reign  of  Joash.-^  Many 
recent  critics  of  the  school  of  Graf  think  that  the; 
prophecy  is  post-exilic  and  the  representation  apocalyptic, 
on  account  of  the  ritualistic  tendencies  of  the  prophet ; 
but  his  intense  yet  classic  style,  the  reference  to  the 
Pliilistines  and  Arabians  as  the  chief  enemies,  the  general 
and  indefinite  representation  of  the  Messianic  idea,  as 
well  as  his  entire  theological  attitude,  point  to  the  earlier 
times.  The  occasion  of  his  prophecy  was  a  fearful  plague 
of  locusts  which  had  come  upon  the  land  and  laid  it 
waste.  This  was  followed  by  a  distressing  drought, 
consuming  all  that  the  locusts  had  left.  The  prophet 
interprets  these  events  as  divine  chastisements,  heralding 
still  severer  affiictions  in  the  great  and  terrible  day  of 
Jahveh.  Hence  he  exhorts  the  people  to  turn  to  Jahveh 
with  all  their  hearts,  to  call  a  solemn  assembly  by  the 
^  So  Credner,  Hitzig,  Ewald,  Keil,  Delitzsch,  Wiinsche. 

158 


154  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

sound  of  the  trumpet,  and  to  fast  and  weep  and  pray, 
saying — 

"  Spare  thy  people,  Jahveh, 
And  give  not  thine  heritage  to  reproach, 
That  the  nations  should  rule  over  them  ; 
Wherefore  should  they  say  among  the  peoples, 
Where  is  their  God  ? "  —Joel  ii.  17. 

The  prophet  then  assures  them  that  Jahveh  is  jealous 
for  His  land,  that  He  pities  His  people,  and  that  He  will 
do  great  things  for  them.  The  former  prosperity  will 
return  with  the  removal  of  the  chastisements.  He  will 
pour  out  His  Spirit  on  all  flesh,  judge  the  nations  in  the 
vale  of  judgment  in  the  great  and  terrible  day,  and  give 
everlasting  peace  and  prosperity  to  His  people. 

The  style  of  Joel  is  classic  and  highly  poetical  His 
discourse  "  is  like  a  rapid  sprightly  stream  flowing  into  a 
dehghtf ul  plain."  ^ 

I.    THE  DAY  OF  JAHVEH. 

§  51.  Joel  describes  the  advent  of  Jahveh  ly  His  Spirit 
in  the  outpouring  of  the  manifold  gifts  of  prophecy  upon  all 
classes  and  conditions  of  men ;  in  the  display  of  wonders 
on  earth  and  in  heaven  heralding  the  approach  of  the  great 
and  terrible  day  ;  and  in  the  deliverance  in  Jerusalem  for 
all  who  call  upon  Jahveh,  and  are  called  by  Him.  All 
natioiis  are  assembled  in  the  vale  of  Jchoshaphat  for 
judgment.  This  is  represented  as  a  great  harvest  accom- 
p)anied  with  convulsions  of  nature.  The  people  of  God 
become  a  fertile  land,  their  enemies  a  desolate  wilderness, 

**And  it  will  come  to  pass  afterward, 
I  will  pour  out  my  Spirit  upon  all  flesh  ; 
And  your  sons  and  your  daughters  will  prophesy, 
Your  old  men  will  dream  dreams. 
Your  young  men  will  see  visions  : 

1  Wiinsche,  Joel^  p.  38,  Leipzig  1872. 


I 


MESSIANIC  IDEAS  OF  THE  EARLIER  PROPHETS.        155 

And  also  upon  the  bondmen  and  upon  the  bondwomen, 

In  those  days  I  will  pour  out  my  Spirit, 

And  I  will  put  wonders  in  heaven, 

And  on  earth  ^  blood  and  fire  and  pillars  of  smoke, 

The  sun  will  change  itself  into  darkness,  and  the  moon  into  blood, 

Before  the  coming  of  the  great  and  the  terrible  ^  day  of  Jaliveh, 

And  it  will  come  to  pass  that  whosoever  will  call  on  the  name  of 

Jahveh  will  be  delivered  ; 
For  in  Mount  Zion  and  in  Jerusalem  will  be  rescue, 
According  as  Jahveh  doth  say. 
And  among  the  survivors  ^  whom  Jahveh  is  going  to  call."  * 

— Joel  iii. 

Joel  vividly  describes  the  advent  of  Jahveh  in  the 
outpouring  of  His  Spirit  on  all  flesh,  and  in  providing 
salvation  for  His  people  in  the  great  and  terrible  day  of 
His  wrath.  Joel  dwells  on  the  former  part  of  his  theme 
in  the  third  chapter,  the  latter  part  being  the  dark  back- 
ground from  which,  after  presenting  it,  he  returns  to  the 
scenes  of  the  past  and  the  present.  He  recalls  the  sad 
features  of  the  invasion  of  Judah  by  the  Arabs  and  the 
Philistines  in  the  reign  of  Jehoram,  when  they  carried 
into  captivity  the  children  of  Judah,  and  spoiled  the  land 
of  its  riches.^  From  this  sad  scene  he  rises  in  the 
assurance  of  divine  retribution  to  his  theme  of  the  divine 
judgment.  He  proclaims  it  at  first  with  reference  to 
these  nations  individually,  as  an  exact  recompense ;  and 
then  from  these  as  types  he  rises  in  prophetic  thought  to 

1  pt^n  is  usually  attached  to  the  previous  line ;  but  the  paral- 
lelism and  rhythm  are  against  it.  There  may  be  a  reference  to  war 
in  the  expressions  of  this  line ;  but  if  this  be  so,  it  is,  in  accordance 
with  iv.  9  seq.,  a  reference  to  the  war  of  Jahveh,  in  which  the 
theophany  and  convulsions  of  nature  constitute  the  principal 
features. 

2  The  LXX.  read  nx"l3,  and  rendered  by  im(pect/^,  and  is  followed 
by  the  New  Testament  in  Acts  ii.  20. 

^  The  LXX.  read  DntJ'^  =  evangelized  ;  but  this  is  a  later  usage, 
and  is  not  well  sustained. 

*  The  ^5-lp  of  Jahveh  is  antithetical  to  the  iOp  of  the  people. 

*  2  Chron.  xxi.  16. 


156  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

the  judgment-seat  of  the  world,  and  beholds  all  nations 
assembled  for  judgment. 

We  have  seen  that  Messianic  prophecy  has  two  lines 
of  development  which  run  parallel  with  each  other,  and 
never  coincide  under  the  Old  Testament, — the  advent  of 
Jahveh,  and  the  advent  of  the  seed  of  the  woman,  who  is 
also  the  seed  of  Abraham  and  the  seed  of  David.  The 
advent  of  Jahveh  is  now  represented  in  two  distinct 
phrases  :  first,  as  an  advent  of  grace  and  revival  through 
the  outpouring  of  His  Spirit,  and  then  as  an  advent  of 
judgment  in  the  outpouring  of  His  wrath.  In  subsequent 
prophecy  these  two  phases  generally  appear  apart,  but 
sometimes  blend  together,  as  in  Chapter  III.,  in  sublime 
mystery.  Under  the  New  Testament  fulfilment,  however, 
the  divine  advent  is  resolved  into  two  advents,  the  one  at 
Pentecost,  the  other  at  the  judgment  day  at  the  end  of 
the  world.-^ 

In  the  interpretation  of  this  prophecy  we  are  not  to 
limit  its  range  to  the  era  of  the  first  advent,  for  the 
advent  of  grace  is  an  advent  which  continues  until  the 
advent  of  judgment.  The  time  between  the  advents  is 
the  last  day  of  Old  Testament  prophecy.  Hence  the 
mingling  of  the  two  in  the  predictions.^ 

^  Peter  (Acts  ii.)  claims  that  this  prophecy  was  fulfilled  in  the 
outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit  on  the  day  of  Pentecost.  And  Paul 
(Kom.  X.  12,  13)  applies  our  passage  to  the  universal  gosjjel  call  and 
the  calling  upon  God  through  faith  in  Jesus  Christ  and  the  confession 
of  His  name.  The  description  of  the  wonders  reappears  in  Matt. 
xxiv.  29,  e.g.  in  the  discourse  of  Jesus  as  premonitions  of  the 
destruction  of  the  world. 

^  Thus  the  gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit  were  striking  and  marvellous 
on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  when  He  descended  in  theophany  to  abide 
with  men  ;  and  His  gifts,  the  ■)cocoi(juoi.Tot  of  Rom.  xii.  6,  1  Cor.  xii., 
were  peculiar  to  that  age.  Yet  notwithstanding  these  gifts  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  have  disappeared  for  eighteen  centuries  as  to  their  more 
striking  and  miraculous  forms,  they  are  none  the  less  present, 
and  have  ever  been  present  with  increasing  and  not  diminishing 
fulness  and  efficacy,  as  to  their  substance  and  real  intrinsic  worth. 
They  are  the  more  in  accordance  with  the  promise  itself,  that  they 


MESSIANIC  IDEAS  OF  THE  EARLIER  PROPHETS.        157 

The  prediction  of  the  great  judgment  is  in  the  form  of 
a  proclamation  of  Jahveh,  the  King  of  Israel,  to  the 
nations,  calling  them  to  the  last  conflict,  which  is  to 
decide  the  destiny  of  all.  It  is  composed  of  three 
strophes. 

I.  "  Proclaim  ye  this  among  the  nations ; 
Consecrate  war  ;  ^  arouse  the  heroes  ; 
Let  all  the  men  of  war  draw  near,  come  up. 
Beat  your  ploughshares  into  swords,  and  your  pruning-knives 

into  spears : 
Let  the  weak  ^  say  I  am  a  hero. 
Assemble  ^  and  come  all  nations, 


have  become  so  common  and  universal  in  their  form  as  well  as  in 
their  substance  ;  for  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  abiding  Paraclete,  as  the 
Saviour  promised  (John  xiv.  16).  Like  the  meek  and  lowly  Jesus, 
He  prefers  the  quiet  and  unostentatious  impartation  of  His  gifts  and 
graces,  as  He  distributes  appropriately  to  each  individual  of  the 
millions  of  Christian  souls,  marshals  the  forces  of  the  Church  in 
her  conflicts  with  Antichrist,  and  steadily  and  constantly  advances 
towards  the  completion  of  the  work  of  grace  for  the  world. 

In  the  same  way  we  are  to  interpret  the  wonders  of  heaven  and 
earth.  We  may  think  of  the  marvels  of  the  theophanies  at  the 
crucifixion,  the  resurrection  and  Pentecost,  but  guided  by  our 
Saviour's  interpretation  of  the  fall  of  the  tower  of  Siloam  (Luke 
xiii.  4,  5),  and  His  reference  to  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  (Matt. 
xxiv.),  we  are  to  regard  the  great  and  the  little  convulsions  of  the 
heavens  and  the  earth  as  individually  and  collectively  heralds  of  the 
approaching  convulsions  of  the  judgment  day.  And  thus  guided  by 
St.  Paul  (Eom.  x.  12),  we  see  the  deliverance  on  Mount  Zion  in  the 
redemption  of  Jesus,  and  think  of  the  gospel  call  going  forth  through 
the  Spirit  and  Bride  to  the  ends  of  the  earth  ;  and  of  that  constantly 
increasing  number  from  all  parts  of  the  world  who  confess  the  name 
of  Jesus,  and  find  salvation  through  faith  and  the  communion  of 
prayer. 

1  War  was  consecrated  by  sacrifices :  see  1  Sam.  vii.  8 ;  Isa.  xiii.  3 : 
Jer.  li.  27. 

2  j»>^n  is  found  only  here  in  the  nominal  form.  Job  xiv.  10  has 
the  verbal  form.  These  are  the  only  two  examples  of  the  use  of 
this  stem  in  Hebrew  in  the  sense  that  is  common  to  it  in  Aramaic. 

^  tJ>iy  is  found  only  here.  It  is  rendered  by  the  LXX.,  Peshitto 
and  Targum,  assemble,  come  together.  This  is  favoured  by  the 
parallelism.  Most  interpreters  prefer  to  regard  it  as  kindred  with 
li^n,  and  render,  hasten. 


158  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

From  round  about  gather  ^  thither, 

Lead  down,^  Jahveh,  thy  heroes. 

Let  the  nations  arouse  themselves  to  come  up 

Unto  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat ;  for  there  shall  I  sit  enthroned 

To  judge  all  nations  from  round  about. 

Put  forth  the  sickle,  for  harvest  is  ripe  : 

Come,  tread  ye  ;  for  the  winepress  is  full, 

The  fats  overflow ;  for  their  wickedness  is  great. 

II.    Multitudes,  multitudes  in  the  valley  of  decision, 

For  near  is  the  day  of  Jahveh  in  the  valley  of  decision. 

The  sun  and  moon  j^ut  on  mourning, 

And  the  stars  withdraw  their  brightness, 

And  Jahveh  roareth  from  Zion, 

And  from  Jerusalem  giveth  his  voice ; 

So  that  heaven  and  earth  quake  : 

But  Jahveh  is  a  refuge  for  his  people, 

And  a  stronghold  for  the  sons  of  IsraeL 

Then  will  ye  know  that  it  is  I, 

Jahveh,  your  God, 

Dweller  in  Zion  my  holy  mountain. 

And  Jerusalem  will  be  a  holy  place. 

And  strangers  will  no  more  pass  through  her. 

III.    And  it  will  come  to  pass  in  that  day, 

The  mountains  will  drip  with  new  wine, 

And  the  hills  will  flow  with  milk. 

And  all  the  brooks  of  Judah  will  flow  with  water.^ 

And  a  fountain  will  issue  from  the  house  of  Jahveh,* 

And  water  the  vale  of  Shittim.^  . 


^  1V3P31  is  Niphal  perfect  with  Vav  consec.  But  it  is  rendered 
by  the  Versions  as  an  imperative.  This  is  favoured  by  the  context 
and  the  rhythm.  Kimchi,  Ewald  and  Wlinsche  take  the  form  as  an 
anomalous  imperative.  But  it  is  better  to  read  an  imperative  at 
once,  ivapn  without  the  1.  ,  v     ., 

2  nnjn  is  Hiph.  imper.  of  nnj.     The  LXX.  renders,  o  'Trpccvg  earc^ 

8  This  representation  of  the  wonderful  fertility  of  the  land  is 
based  upon  the  earlier  promises.  Gen.  xlix. ;  Ex.  iii.  8  ;  Lev.  xxvi. 

*  The  stream  from  the  house  of  God  is  a  familiar  conception  of 
later  prophecy,  where  it  is  more  elaborate  ;  see  Ps.  xlvi.  4  ;  Ezek. 
xlvii.  ;  Zech.  xiv.  8  ;  Kev.  xxii.  3. 

^  D^DC^n,  the  acacias.     This  was  the  name  of  the  waste  section 


MESSIANIC  IDEAS  OF  THE  EAELIER  PROPHETS.        159 

Egypt  will  become  a  desolation, 

And  Edom  will  become  a  desolate  wilderness, 

Because  of  violence  ^  toward  the  children  of  Judah, 

When  they  shed  innocent  ^  blood  in  their  land. 

But  Judah  will  abide  for  ever, 

And  Jerusalem  for  generation  after  generation. 

And  I  will  cleanse  ^  their  blood  that  I  have  not  cleansed, 

For  Jahveh  is  a  dweller  in  Zion. "  *  — Joel  iv.  9-21. 

This  is  the  classic  passage  referring  to  the  divine 
judgment  which  reappears  in  all  subsequent  Old  Testa- 
ment prophecy,  and  in  the  New  Testament  in  the  words 
of  our  Saviour  and  John.  We  see  first  the  assembly  of 
armed  hosts  of  all  nations  before  the  throne  in  the  valley 
of  decision.  On  the  one  side  stand  the  armies  of  the 
enemies.  On  the  other  side  stand  the  armies  of  God, 
the  weakest  of  its  warriors  a  hero.  The  judgment  is  not 
so  much  a  conflict  of  armies  as  a  great  harvest.  There 
is  a  reaping  with  the  sickle  of  judgment,  a  treading  of 
grapes  in  the  winepress.  Multitudes  are  in  great  terror 
and  confusion,  for  all  nature  is  in  commotion.  The 
sun,  moon  and  stars  put  on  mourning.  Heaven  and 
earth  quake,  and  a  terrible  voice  causes  all  nature  to 
tremble.  Finally,  we  observe  the  result  of  this  judgment. 
The  enemies  have  become  a  desolation,  a  desolate  wilder- 

on  the  east  of  the  Jordan  where  the  Israelites  were  seduced  by  the 
Moabites,  Num.  xxv.  1.  The  prophet  represents  this  stream  as 
crossing  the  Jordan  in  its  influence.  This  is  impossible  in  fact.  It 
is  thus  an  evidence  of  the  symbolical  character  of  the  representation 
(see  p.  50). 

•^  D!on.    The  construct  is  here  the  construct  of  the  object — violence 

towards. 

2  ^tp:,  for  the  usual  ""pj,  only  here  and  Jonah  i.  4,  an  Aramaism. 

^  Tl'^p^  Biel  of  npi  =  to  be  pure  ;  Niph.,  to  be  innocent ;  Piel,  to 
make  pure,  cleanse,  and  so  to  pronounce  clean,  acquit.  The  cleans- 
ing away  may  be  by  ceremonies  of  atonement  or  by  punishment. 
The  context  is  in  favour  of  the  latter. 

*  1^3  pK^,  an  appropriate  close  to  the  prophecy,  to  emphasize 
this  as  the  great  central  fact  of  consolation  and  confidence.  Comp. 
n'O^  nin\  Ezek.  xlviii.  35. 


160  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

ness,  while  the  condition  of  the  people  of  God  is  as 
an  exceedingly  fertile  land.  Jahveh  dwells  in  Zion, 
Jerusalem  is  holy,  the  land  flows  with  wine  and  milk. 
A  fountain  of  living  waters  goes  forth  from  the  house  of 
God  and  quickens  the  most  barren  portions  of  the  land, 
so  that  there  is  everywhere  life  and  prosperity,  for  God 
dwells  in  Zion,  the  fountain  source  of  every  blessing  to 
His  land  and  people.* 

Amos. 

The  second  Messianic  prophet  is  Amos  the  herdsman 
of  Tekoa.  Amos  prophesied  during  the  reign  of  Jeroboam 
II.  of  Israel  and  Uzziah  of  Judah.  Jeroboam  II.  was 
the  greatest  of  all  the  kings  of  the  northern  kingdom. 
He  conquered  Damascus  and  all  Syria  to  the  Euphrates, 
although  he  did  evil  in  the  sight  of  Jahveh,  as  did  his 
namesake  the  founder  of  the  monarchy.^  Uzziah  of 
Judah  served  Jahveh  and  prospered.  He  conquered 
Edom  and  Arabia  Petrsea  to  the  gulf  of  Elah  and  the 
river  of  Egypt.^ 

During  these  reigns  the  kingdoms  of  Israel  and  Judah 
enjoyed  a  wider  dominion  than  that  of  David.  Israel 
was  never  more  prosperous  ;  but,  alas  !  tliis  prosperity 
was  all  external.  The  house  of  David  was  still  bereaved 
of  the  northern  tribes,  who  were  corruj)t  and  hostile  ;  so 
much  so,  that  during  the  previous  reign  of  Amaziah  of 
Judah  they  had  broken  down  the  wall  of  Jerusalem  and 
spoiled  the  temple  and  the  king's  palace.*  The  breaches 
had  not  been  healed,  but  were  growing  wider  and  wider, 

^  We  are  guided  by  our  Saviour  (Matt,  xxiv.),  in  His  prophecy  of 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  and  the  world,  to  refer  the  prophecy 
to  the  final  judgment  of  the  last  great  day  (see  also  Eev.  vi.  12, 
xiv.  14-20,  xvi.  IG,  xx.  11-15,  xxii.  13). 

2  2  Kings  xiv.  24,  25.  «  2  Chron.  xxvi. 

*  2  Kin<js  xiv.  12-14  ;  2  Chron.  xxv.  17-24. 


MESSIANIC  IDEAS  OP  THE  EAELIER  PROPHETS.        161 

more  and  more  incurable.  Israel  and  Judah  both  feel 
secure  in  their  prosperity ;  but  the  prophet  sees  the 
internal  corruption,  and  warns  of  the  impending  wrath  of 
Jahveh/  who  will  scourge  them  as  Damascus,  Gaza,  Tyre, 
Edom,  Ammon,  Moab,  "  for  three  transgressions  and  for 
four."  ^  Judah,  and  still  more  Israel,  will  be  involved 
in  no  less  severe  ruin.  Fire  will  kindle  in  their  walls 
and  devour  their  palaces.  They  have  been  warned  by 
famine,  by  drought,  by  locusts  and  mildew,  by  pestilence 
and  war,  by  earthquake  and  fire.  The  several  charges 
of  the  fourth  chapter  conclude  with  the  warning,  "  Pre- 
pare to  meet  thy  God,  0  Israel."  In  chap.  vii.  the 
prophet  sees  a  vision  of  locusts,  then  a  terrible  fire 
devouring  all  before  it.  These  are  not  to  be.  Jahveh 
stands  with  plumb-line  over  the  wall.  All  the  high 
places  and  sanctuaries  of  Israel  are  to  be  made  desolate. 
Finally,  in  chap.  ix.  the  prophet  sees  Jahveh  stand- 
ing over  the  altar  of  the  temple  court  and  commanding 
His  destroying  angel  to  smite  the  altar  and  temple  and 
davsh  them  in  pieces  upon  the  head  of  all  the  people. 
None  will  escape  the  judgment,  wherever  they  may  hide, 
in  Sheol  or  heaven,  in  the  bottom  of  the  sea  or  woody 
Carmel ;  for  before  Him  all  nature  trembles,  the  earth 
melts,  and  becomes  like  Egypt  in  the  overflow  of  the 
Nile.  There  is  to  be  a  sifting  as  of  corn  in  a  sieve,  but 
not  one  grain  of  wheat  will  perish. 

n.    THE  REBUILDING  OF  THE  RUINED  HOUSE  OF  DAVID. 

§  52.  Amos  predicts  that  Israel  will  he  sifted  among 
the  nations,  hut  not  a  grain  will  he  lost.  The  ruined  house 
of  David  will  he  restored  to  its  former  ;prosjperity.     It  will 

^  W.  E.  Smith,  The  Prophets  of  Israel,  Lecture  III.,  Edinburgh 
1882. 

^  The  terrible  refrain  of  the  first  and  second  chapters 

L 


162  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

take  possession  of  the  nations  as  its  inheritance.  TJie  land 
will  become  rich  and  fruitful  as  the  everlasting  abode  of 
the  2^co2)le  of  God. 

I.  "  For,  lo  !  I  am  going  to  give  charge, 

And  sift  the  house  of  Israel  among  all  nations, 

As  grain  is  sifted  in  a  sieve. 

And  not  a  grain  falls  to  the  ground. 

All  the  sinners  of  my  people  will  die  by  the  sword, 

Who  are  saying  it  will  not  come  nigh, 

The  evil  will  not  overtake  us. 

In  that  day  I  will  raise  up  the  fallen  hut  of  David,* 

And  wall  up  its  breaches,^  and  raise  up  its  ruins,^ 

And  build  it  as  in  days  of  old  ; 

In  order  that  they  may  seek  Jahveh,* 

The  remnant  of  Edom  and  all  nations, 

Upon  whom  my  name  is  called, 

Is  the  utterance  of  Jahveh,  doer  of  this. 

II.  Lo,  days  are  coming,  is  the  utterance  of  Jahveh, 
When  the  ploughman  will  overtake  the  reaper, 
And  the  treader  of  gi^apes,  the  sower  of  seed,^ 
And  the  mountains  will  drip  with  new  wine, 
And  all  the  hills  will  melt ;  ^ 


^  Ttn  n3D,  booth  or  hut,  indicating  gi-aphically  the  reduced  con- 
dition of  the  T)1  n"'n  of  the  prediction  in  2  Sam.  vii.  (see  §  42). 

^  pi^inti-  The  fern,  plural  suffix  is  from  the  resolution  oi  the 
house  into  its  walls.  It  may  contain  a  reference  to  the  division  of 
the  kingdoms. 

^  riD^in,  fem.  noun,  only  here,  from  D")n,  tear  down. 

*  The  Hebrew  text  has  n\1^  ^n^?C'  HS  W^^^  The  LXX.  (Alex, 
codex),  New  Testament,  Acts  xv.  17,  and  Arabic  Version  read 
DIX  nnsC'  T\V\''  nx  ^^'n'^-  Some  MSS.  of  LXX.  read  TIN.  The 
Vuigate,  Peshitto  and  Targiim  support  the  Massoretic  text.  The 
rhythm  favours  the  LXX.  so  far  as  nin^  HN  l^ll^  are  concerned. 
The  pointing  USl^  seems  to  us  better  suited  to  the  context  and  the 
dependence  on  previous  predictions.  The  Messiah  is  called  Bar 
Naphli  (Talmud,  Sanhed.  fol.  96.  2)  on  the  basis  of  this  passage. 

^This  is  the  same  blessing  as  that  attached  to  the  sanctity  code, 
Lev.  xxvi.  5. 

*  Compai'e  Joel  iv.  18. 


MESSIANIC  IDEAS  OF  THE  EARLIER  PROPHETS.        163 

And  I  will  restore  the  prosperity  ^  of  my  people  Israel, 

And  they  will  build  waste  cities,  and  inhabit  them  ; 

And  plant  vineyards,  and  drink  their  wine ; 

And  make  gardens,  and  eat  their  fruit ; 

And  I  will  plant  them  upon  their  land, 

And  they  will  not  again  be  thrust  out  from  upon  their  land 

Which  I  have  given  them  ; 

Jahveh  thy  God  doth  say." 

The  prophet  takes  up  the  human  side  of  Messianic 
prophecy,  and  views  the  Messianic  blessings  as  resulting 
from  the  restoration  of  the  prosperity  of  the  house  of 
David.  The  house  of  David  appears  to  the  prophet  as 
reduced  from  a  palace  to  a  hut,  and  then  as  in  ruins ;  so 
far  below  the  Davidic  glory  had  his  seed  fallen.  But 
this  condition  is  not  to  continue,  the  breaches  are  to  be 
walled  up,  the  ruins  are  to  be  re-erected,  they  will  be 
rebuilt  as  in  former  times.  The  promises  made  to 
Abraham,  Israel  and  David  are  to  be  fulfilled.  The 
remnant  of  Edom,  and  all  the  heathen  upon  whom 
Jahveh's  name  shall  have  been  called,  will  seek  Jahveh. 
The  blessings  of  the  promised  land,  especially  as  presented 
in  the  blessing  of  Jacob  ^  and  connected  with  the  reign 
of  the  Messianic  king,^  are  to  be  fulfilled.  Harvests 
will  follow  one  another  in  rapid  succession,  the  land  will 
overflow  with  fruit,  and  the  hillsides  will  be  covered  with 
flocks  and  herds.  The  land  becomes  the  abiding  habitation 
of  the  people  under  the  protection  of  God.  Thus  the  same 
blessings  are  here  ascribed  to  the  restoration  of  the  house 
of  David  as  in  Joel  accompany  the  advent  of  Jahveh.* 

The  person  of  the  Messiah  does  not  appear  in  this 
prophecy,  but  there  is  the  generic  reference  to  the  house 
of  David  and  the  people  of  Israel.^ 

^  T\)2^  31t^'= restore  prosperity  ;  nUK^  is  from  y\\i^,  and  not  from 

2  Gen.  xlix.  3  pg,  ixxii.  *  Joel  iv.     See  p.  158. 

*  James  in  his  discourse,  Acts  xv.  16,  guides  us  to  find  the  fulfil- 


164  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 


HOSEA. 


The  third  Messianic  prophet  is  Hosea,  who  prophesied 
during  the  latter  part  of  the  reign  of  Jeroboam  II.  of 
Israel  and  Uzziah  of  Judah,  and  also  during  the  reign  of 
their  immediate  successors/ 

The  brilliant  period  of  Jeroboam  II.  was  followed  by 
a  sad  decline  into  political  and  social  ruin.  ^  There  was 
no  truth,  no  mercy,  no  knowledge  of  God  in  the  land  of 
Israel ;  and  so  utterly  had  they  apostatized  that  they 
were  abandoned  by  Jahveh  to  ruin.  In  this  spirit 
Hosea  prophesied,  being  the  Jeremiah  of  the  northern 
kingdom. 

Hosea  is  really  one  of  the  greatest  of  the  prophets  of 
Israel.  Eated  as  such  by  the  ancient  synagogue,  he 
stands  first  in  the  order  of  the  twelve  lesser  prophets.  His 
style  differs  greatly  from  that  of  the  classic  Joel.  He 
is  rude  and  rough,  original  in  thought  and  expression, 
obscure  and  difficult.  Unusual  words,  constructions  and 
metaphors  are  frequent.  He  is  bold  and  impetuous  as  a 
mountain  torrent,  sublime  in  denunciation  as  a  thunder- 
storm, and  yet  tender  and  affectionate  in  his  consolations 
as  the  dew  of  the  morning  and  the  light  of  dawn.  He 
is  fond  of  imagery,  especially  from  the  forest,  mountain  and 
field  ;  and  lives  as  a  warm-hearted  patriot  in  the  earliest 
scenes  of  Hebrew  history,  from  which  he  draws  frequent 
illustrations  of  future  blessedness.^  "  The  address  of  the 
prophet  is  like  a  wreath  woven  of  the  most  different 
flowers,   comparisons  entwined  with  comparisons,   meta- 

ment  of  this  prophecy  in  the  erection  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ  on 
the  day  of  Pentecost,  and  in  the  gathering  in  of  the  Gentiles  by 
apostolic  labours. 

'  The  later  title  is  apparently  incorrect  in  extending  his  pro- 
phetic activity  into  the  reign  of  Ahaz  and  Hezekiah.  There  is  no 
internal  evidence  for  it.     See  W.  K.  Smith  in  Ix.^  Lecture  IV. 

2  Comp.  Wiinsche's  Hosea,  p.  xxvii.  seq. 


MESSIANIC  IDEAS  OF  THE  EARLIER  PROPHETS.        165 

phors  joined  to  metaphors.  He  breaks  a  flower,  and 
throws  it  away  in  order  again  at  once  to  break  another. 
As  a  bee  he  flies  from  one  bed  of  flowers  to  another  in 
order  to  suck  honey  from  the  most  different  kinds  of 
sap."  ^ 


ni.    THE  RESTORATION  OF  ISRAEL. 

§  53.  Hosea  predicts  the  restoration  of  Israel  after  dis- 
cipline, (a)  21ie  children  of  Israel  are  guilty  of  whoredom 
with  Baal ;  they  receive  the  names,  Jezreel  ('M  scatter eth), 
lo-ruhamah  (uncompassioned)  and  Lo-ammi  (no  people  of 
mine).  They  are  to  unite  under  one  head,  the  second 
David,  to  receive  co7)ipassion,  to  he  the  children  of  the  living 
God,  and  to  he  planted  in  their  land  for  ever,  (b)  Mother 
Israel,  guilty  of  adidtery  with  Baal,  is  rejected  hy  her 
husband  Jahveh.  But  after  faithful  discipline  in  the 
wilderness  she  is  restored  to  the  land,  where  she  is  remarried. 
The  divine  attributes  become  the  bonds  of  union.  All  nature 
responds  to  His  will,  and  war  is  brought  to  an  end.  (c) 
Jahveh  is  faithful  in  love  to  unfaithful  Israel.  After 
depriving  her  for  a  while  of  the  benefits  of  civil  and  religious 
institutions,  she  returns  with  penitence  to  Jahveh  and  the 
second  David,  (d)  Israel  is  to  go  into  captivity,  hut  will  not 
he  abandoned.  Jahveh  will  roar  like  a  lion,  and  the  'people 
will  flock  like  birds  from  the  lands  of  their  exile  and  inhabit 
their  oivn  land  again,  (e)  Israel  is  to  die  of  plague  and 
pestilence,  and  descend  into  Sheol ;  but  Jahveh  will  ransom 
him  from  thence,  (f)  Israel  is  to  become  a  very  fruitful 
land,  blessed  with  the  dew  of  the  love  of  Jahveh. 

The  human  and  the  divine   lines    of    the    Messianic 

idea  are  in  the  prophecy  of  Hosea,  yet  they  are  distinct. 

Hosea  takes  up  the  familiar  Oriental  idea  that  Israel  is  the 

wife  of  Jahveh,  and  that  all  forsaking  of  Him  and  going 

^  Eichhorn's  Einleitung^  4  Aufl.  iv.  p.  286. 


1G6  MESSIANIC  PKOPHECY. 

after  idols  is  adultery/  This  idea  he  carries  out  under 
three  symbolic  transactions,  the  deep  fall  of  the  adulterous 
wife  being  described  in  order  to  set  forth  in  the  end  the 
grandeur  of  her  restoration. 

I.  "And  Jahveh  said  unto  Hosea,  Go  take  thee  a  woman  of 
whoredom  ^  and  children  of  whoredom  :  for  the  land  is  committing 
great  whoredom  in  departing  from  ^  Jahveh.  So  he  went  and  took 
Gomer,  daughter  of  Diblaim  ;  and  she  conceived,  and  bare  him  a 
son.  And  Jahveh  said  unto  him,  Call  his  name  Jezreel ;  for  in  a 
little  while  I  will  visit  the  blood  of  Jezreel  upon  the  house  of 
Jehu,  and  will  cause  the  kingdom  of  the  house  of  Israel  to  cease. 
And  it  will  come  to  pass  in  that  day,"*  I  will  break  the  bow  of 
Israel  in  the  vale  of  Jezreel.  And  she  conceived  again,  and  bare  a 
daughter.  And  He  said  to  him.  Call  her  name  Lo-ruhaiimh :  ^  for 
I  will  no  more  have  compassion  on  the  house  of  Israel ;  for  I  will 
entirely  take  them  away.^  And  I  will  have  compassion  on  the 
house  of  Judah,  and  save  them  by  Jahveh  their  God,  and  I  will 
not  save  them  by  bow,  nor  by  sword,  nor  by  battle,  by  hoi^es,  nor 
by  ridei^.  And  she  weaned  Lo-ruhamali,  and  conceived,  and  bare 
a  son.  And  He  said,  Call  his  name  Lo-ammi:  for  ye  are  not  my 
people,  and  I  will  not  be  youi-^. 

And  the  number  of  the  children  of  Israel  will  be  as  the  sand  of 
the  sea,  which  cannot  be  measured  nor  numbered  ;  and  it  will 
come  to  pass,  in  the  place  where  it  will  be  said  to  them,  Ye  are  not 
my  people,  it  will  be  said  to  them,  Sons  of  the  Hving  God.     And 


^  See  W.  R.  Smith  in  I.e.  p.  170  seq.,  for  a  fine  explanation  of 
the  origin  of  this  representation. 

^  D''3"liT-  The  abstract  plural  indicates  that  the  whole  bent  of  the 
woman  was  harlotry. 

^  "'inSD  is  pregnant,  implying  the  verb  "[pn. 

*  t^inn  DVH-  The  day  of  battle  on  which  the  fate  of  the  kingdom 
was  decided  in  the  plain  of  Jezreel,  the  historic  battlefield  of 
IsraeL  "We  have  no  historic  account  of  a  battle  with  the  Assyrians 
here  ;  but  such  an  one  is  not  improbable. 

^  ncm  ^  may  be  taken  as  Pual  part,  with  ^  elided,  or  as  3  fem. 
sing,  of  the  perf. 

^  XC^t^  Nt^^  This  verb  is  rendered  by  R.V.  and  many  inter- 
pretei-s  in  the  technical  sense  "  pardon,"  "  that  I  should  in  any  wise 
pardon  them  ;  "  l)ut  the  context  favours  the  more  common  meaning, 
"  take  away,"  which  is  followed  by  most  interpreters. 


MESSIANIC  IDEAS  OF  THE  EARLIER  PROPHETS.        167 

the  cliildren  of  Judah  and  the  children  of  Israel  will  gather  them- 
selves together,  and  appoint  them  one  head,  and  go  up  from  the 
land  :   for  great  will  be  the  day  of  Jezreel." — Hos.  i.-ii.  2. 

The  prophet  is  commanded  to  take  a  wife  whose  whole 
bent  is  harlotry,  and  whose  children  inherit  their  mother's 
evil  propensities.  It  is  doubtful  whether  the  command 
was  designed  to  be  actually  obeyed.  It  seems  altogether 
unnecessary  that  the  symbol  should  have  taken  form  in 
real  life.  The  graphic  representation  in  the  language  of 
the  prophet  was  sufficient.  The  representation  is  realistic 
and  intense  with  passion;  but  this  only  shows  the 
powerful  imagination  of  the  prophet  and  his  descriptive 
power  under  the  influence  of  the  prophetic  spirit.^ 
Whether  real  or  ideal,  the  symbol  is  plain  enough. 
Israel  is  the  adulterous  wife,  and  the  people  are  her 
impure  children.  This  section  of  the  prophecy  plays 
upon  the  names  of  the  three  children,  thereby  contrasting 
the  chastisement  with  the  restoration. 

Jezreel,  the  first  and  most  prominent  name,  means, 
'El  scattereth  and  'El  planteth.  Thus  Israel  is  to  be 
scattered  in  defeat  and  slaughter  upon  the  battlefield  of 
the  plain  of  Jezreel.  Here  the  plain  of  Jezreel  is  the 
scene  of  the  judgment,  as  the  vale  of  Jehoshaphat  in 
Joel.  And  the  prophecy  derives  great  force  from 
the  play  upon  the  names  of  these  well  -  known 
localities. 

But  Jezreel  also  means  God  soweth ;  so  in  this  place 
He  will  gather  them  together  again  under  one  head. 
Judah  and  Israel  will  march  forth  from  the  land  of  their 
captivity  in   the   days   of    Jezreel,  will    be    planted   or 

^  W.  E.  Smith  in  I.e.  p.  180,  is  not  sufficiently  considerate  when 
he  says  :  "  It  is  difficult  to  understand  how  any  sound  judgment  can 
doubt  that  Hosea's  account  of  his  married  life  is  hteral  history." 
The  representation  of  Dr.  Smith  is  eloquent  and  persuasive,  but  it 
is  not  altogether  convincing. 


168  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

sowed  in  Jezreel,  and  become  multitudinous  as  the  sand 
of  the  sea-shore  in  fulfihnent  of  the  Abrahamic  promise. 

Lo-ruhamah  means  uncompassioned — or  she  is  not 
compassioned.  This  was  the  condition  of  Israel  when 
abandoned  by  Jahveh,  when  His  tender  mercies  gathered 
about  Judah  alone.  But  in  the  Messianic  time  Lo- 
ruhamah  becomes  Buhamah,  the  compassioned.  Israel  and 
Judah  mutually  recognize  one  another  as  sisters.  The 
sure  mercies  of  David  ^  flow  upon  them  tlirough  the  one 
head,  the  Messiah  of  David's  line,  whom  Israel  and  Judah 
will  jointly  recognize  and  follow  in  marching  up  from 
the  land  of  their  captivity. 

Lo-ammi  means  no  people  of  mine,  because  Israel  had 
been  rejected  by  God,  who  refused  any  longer  to  be  theirs. 
But  in  the  Messianic  time  they  become  Ammi — my 
people.  Israel  and  Judah  will  mutually  recognize  their 
brotherhood,  and  that  each  alike  is  the  people  of  God. 
Yes  in  the  very  place,  that  is  Jezreel,  where  it  was  said 
to  them.  Ye  are  no  people  of  mine,  it  will  be  said  to 
them,  "  My  people ; "  "  The  sons  of  the  living  God." 

This  portion  of  the  prediction  brings  into  view  a 
second  David  as  the  monarch  under  whom  the  restoration 
is  to  take  place.^ 

11.  There  is  another  variation  of  the  symbol  in  chap.  ii. 
In  the  first  representation  the  stress  was  laid  upon  the 
punishment  of  the  children  and  their  restoration.  The 
stress  is  now  laid  upon  the  mother  herself. 


I.  "  Say  ye  to  your  brethren,  Ammi ; 
And  to  your  sisters,  Ruhamah. 
Plead  with  your  mother,  plead  ; 


1  2  Sam.  vii.     See  p.  129. 

2  The  fulfilment  of  the  prediction  is  found,  according  to  Eom.  ix. 
25,  1  Pet.  ii.  10,  in  the  gathering  together  of  the  children  of  God 
by  adoption  under  the  one  head,  Jesus  Christ. 


MESSIANIC  IDEAS  OF  THE  EAELIER  PKOPHETS.        169 

If  she  will  not  be  my  wife, 
I  will  not  be  her  husband. 

Then  let  her  remove  her  whoredoms  from  her  face,  ■ 

And  her  adulteries  from  between  her  breasts  ;  i 

Lest  I  strip  her  naked,  1 

And  set  her  as  the  day  when  she  was  bom,*  j 

And  make  her  as  a  wilderness,  \ 

And  set  her  like  a  dry  land,  i 

And  slay  her  with  thirst ;  : 

And  upon  her  children  have  no  compassion  ;  | 

For  they  are  children  of  whoredom.  t 

II.  Verily  their  mother  played  the  harlot :  i 

She  that  conceived  them  acted  shamefully  when  she  said,  i 

I  will  2  go  after  my  lovers,  ] 

The  givers  of  my  bread  and  my  water. 

My  wool  and  my  flax,  mine  oil  and  my  drinks.  i 

Therefore,  behold,  I  am  going  to  hedge  her  ^  way  with  thorns,  i 

And  wall  up  her  wall,  ; 

That  she  may  not  find  her  paths. 

When  she  would  pursue  her  lovers,  -  ! 

She  will  not  overtake  them  ;  i 

When  she  would  seek  them,  she  will  not  fiind.  ! 

Then  she  will  say,  I  will  ^  go,  j 

And  I  will  return  unto  my  former  husband  ;  I 

For  it  was  better  for  me  then  than  now.  j 

i 

III.  Indeed  she  did  not  know  \ 

That  it  was  I  who  gave  to  her  \ 

The  corn,  and  the  new  wine,  and  the  new  oil,  ! 

And  silver  I  multiplied  to  her,  ] 

And  gold  which  was  used  *  for  Baal.  \ 

Therefore  I  shall  take  again  ] 

My  corn  in  its  time  and  my  new  wine  in  its  season,  j 


^  ni^in,  rare  use  of  infin.  Niph.  with  suffix.     It  is  passive. 

^  n37X,  cohort,  expresses  resolution. 

^  The  Massoretic  text  has  ']Dn,  but  this  has  nothing  in  its  favour 
except  difficulty.     LXX.  Arabic,  Peshitto  read  ilDIl,  her  way. 

*  IK'Vj  a  relative  clause.  There  is  a  transition  from  the  mother  to 
the  people,  in  order  to  bring  out  the  imiversality  of  the  guilt. 


170  MESSIANIC  PKOPHECY. 

And  pluck  away  my  wool  and  my  flax, 

Used  for  covering  ^  her  nakedness. 

And  now  I  will  reveal  her  shame 

In  the  eyes  of  her  lovers, 

Seeing  that  no  one  ^  can  deliver  her  from  my  hand, 

And  I  will  cause  all  her  mirth  to  cease  in  her  feasts, 

Her  new  moons,  and  her  sabbaths,  and  all  her  festivals. 

IV.  And  I  will  lay  waste  her  vine  and  her  fig-tree, 
"Whereof  she  said. 
They  are  a  hire  ^  for  me 
That  my  lovers  gave  to  me  ; 
And  I  will  make  them  a  forest, 
And  the  wild  beasts  of  the  field  will  devour  them. 
And  I  will  visit  upon  her  the  days  of  Baalim, 
"When  she  used  *  to  burn  incense  to  them  ; 
When  ^  she  decked  herself  with  her  nose-rings  and  her  jewels. 
And  went  after  her  lovers  ; 
And  me  she  forgat,  is  the  utterance  of  Jahveh. 
Therefore,  behold,  I  am  going  to  allure  her, 
And  bring  her  unto  the  wilderness. 
And  speak  unto  her  heart.  ^ 

V.  And  I  will  give  to  her  her  vineyards  from  thence, 
And  the  vale  of  ' Akhor  for  a  door  of  hope. 
And  she  will  respond "  there  as  in  the  days  of  her  youth,^ 
As  in  the  day  of  her  going  up  from  the  land  of  Egypt. 
And  it  will  come  to  pass  in  that  day,  is  the  utterance  of  Jaliveh, 
Thou  wilt  call  me  my  husband, 

^  niD^^'  is  pregnant,  implying  a  verb,  therefore  we  render,  "  used 
to  cover." 

2  t:'''X  is  here  indefinite,  "  one,"  t/j. 

^  n^nx  is  only  found  here.  It  is  a  noun,  from  |nj,  with  the  mean- 
ing, hire. 

*  "l^Dpn  is  a  frequentative  imperf. 

^  1V^'\  is  an  emphatic  change  of  tense  to  emphasize  and  give 

direction  to  the  specific  charge. 

^  nnyi'y  =  unto  her  heart,  to  her  very  soul,  or  inner  nature. 

''  T^'^'H  may  have  either  of  the  two  meanings,  to  sing,  as  Jerome, 
Saadia,  De  Wette,  Umbreit,  Wiinsche,  et  al. ;  or  to  respond,  as 
Ewald,  Hitzig,  Hengst.,  Keil,  Nowack.  The  latter  is  more  suited 
to  the  context. 

^  D'^liyJ  is  abstract  plural,  youth. 


MESSIANIC  IDEAS  OF  THE  EARLIER  PROPHETS.        l7l 

And  thou  wilt  not  call  me  any  more  my  Baal,^ 

And  I  will  remove  the  names  of  Baalim  from  her  mouth, 

And  they  will  not  be  remembered  any  more  by  their  name  ; 

And  I  will  conclude  for  them  a  covenant  in  that  day, 

With  the  wild  beast  of  the  field  and  with  the  bird  of  heaven, 

And  the  creeping  thing  of  the  ground,  and  the  bow  and  the 

sword, 
And  the  battle  will  I  break  from  the  land, 
Amd  I  will  cause  them  to  dwell  in  confidence. 

VI.  Verily,2  I  will  espouse  thee  to  me  for  ever ;  "" 

Verily,2  I  will  espouse  thee  to  me  in  righteousness, 
And  in  justice,  and  in  mercy,  and  in  compassion ; 
Verily,^  I  will  espouse  thee  to  me  in  faithfulness. 
And  thou  wilt  know  that  I  am  Jahveh  ;  ^ 
And  it  will  come  to  pass  in  that  day  I  will  respond  ; 
I  will  respond  to  the  heavens,  is  the  utterance  of  Jahveh. 
And  they  will  respond  to  the  earth  ; 
And  the  earth  will  respond  to  the  com, 
And  the  new  wine  and  the  new  oil, 
And  these  will  respond  to  Jezreel^ 
And  I  will  sow  her  to  me  in  the  land, 
And  I  will  have  compassion  upon  Lo-ruhamak^ 
And  I  will  say  to  Lo-ammi^  Thou  art  my  people, 
And  he  will  say.  My  God."  — Hos.  ii.  3-20. 

This  section  brings  before  us  mother  Israel  guilty  of 
adultery  with  Baal.  Her  children  are  exhorted  to  plead 
with  her  to  forsake  her  adulteries.     Yet  she  does  not 

■^/OT-  There  is  here  a  play  upon  words,  ^ya  was  an  ancient 
divine  name,  meaning  Lord,  and  synonymous  with  piX.  It  was  in 
early  times  used  of  the  true  God,  Jahveh ;  but  in  the  time  of  Hosea 
it  had  become  so  associated  with  the  sun-god  of  the  Canaanites, 
that  it  must  be  no  longer  used  for  the  true  God.  It  is  probable 
that  |nx  was  used  in  Judah  as  ^j;n  in  Israel,  i^yn  =  my  lord,  is  used 
over  against  ''t^>"'X,  my  man,  my  husband. 

2  The  weak  Vavs  with  the  imperfects  are  intensive.  It  seems 
difficult  to  give  them  any  other  meaning  here. 

^  The  Massoretic  text  of  the  Western  Jews  is  niH"'  nx  TiyiS  and 
this  is  supported  by  the  LXX.  But  the  Babylonian  codex  reads 
nin*'  ""Jt?  ""D,  and  this  is  supported  by  the  Vulgate,  and  seems  best 
suited  to  the  contrast  between  "»t)y2  and  '^^'^^  above. 


172  MESSIANIC  PKOPHECY. 

repent,  and  therefore  is  stripped  of  her  gifts  that  she  had 
received  of  her  husband  Jahveh,  and  had  attributed  to 
Baal.  Jahveh  hedges  up  her  way  and  walls  her  in,  so 
tliat  she  cannot  attain  unto  Baal.  Then  she  repents 
and  returns  unto  her  husband.  He  receives  her  again, 
but  first  subjects  her  to  disciphne,  as  with  Israel  in  the 
wilderness.  Here  the  prophet  uses  the  exodus  from 
Egypt  and  the  entrance  into  Canaan  as  the  symbolic 
framework  for  his  Messianic  prophecy.  As  at  the  early 
marriage  Jahveh  led  her  forth  from  Egypt  into  the 
wilderness,  so  now  at  the  restoration  she  goes  forth  into 
the  wilderness.  There  her  husband  comforts  her,  and 
gives  her  the  vineyard  of  which  he  had  stripped  her. 
Erom  the  wilderness  he  leads  her  back  into  her  land  by 
the  vale  of  Akhor.  This  vale  had  been  the  vale  of 
tribulation  to  ancient  Israel  through  the  sin  of  Achan,  but 
had  become  a  door  of  hope,  being  the  vale  through  which 
they  ascended  to  the  capture  of  Ai,  and  thus  obtained 
a  permanent  lodgment  in  the  midst  of  the  land.^  Thus 
restored  Israel  will  pass  through  the  vale  of  tribulation, 
and  even  there  find  a  door  of  hope  through  which  she 
will  enter  into  possession  of  her  inheritance.  She  is 
then  reunited  to  her  husband  for  ever.  A  covenant  with 
the  animal  kingdom  is  made,  and  the  instruments  of  war 
are  destroyed.  The  covenant  with  the  animal  kingdom, 
in  accordance  with  Gen.  i.  and  Ps.  viii.,  is  to  bestow 
upon  Israel  the  original  endowment  and  ideal  inheritance 
of  mankind.  The  instruments  of  war  are  destroyed  in 
order  to  permanent  peace.  The  divine  attributes  are  the 
holy  bands  which  bind  together  in  indissoluble  union. 

"  All  nature  responds  to  the  advent  of  Jahveh.     It  is 

as  if  we  heard  the  sublime  harmonies  of  the  powers  of 

nature    as    they   act    upon   one   another,   sustained   and 

moved   by   the   fundamental   tone   of   the   creating  and 

^  Josh.  vii.-viii. 


MESSIANIC  IDEAS  OF  THE  EARLIER  PROPHETS.        1*73 

shaping  spirit."^  The  marriage  of  Jahveh  to  Israel  is 
somewhat  different  from  the  marriage  of  the  Messianic 
king  to  the  nations  as  we  have  observed  it  in  Ps.  xlv. 
The  marriage  is  a  remarriage  of  an  unfaithful  wife.^ 

III.  The  prophet,  in  the  third  section  of  his  symbol, 
lays  stress  upon  the  great  love  of  Jahveh  to  His  unfaithful 
wife. 

"  And  Jahveh  said  unto  me,  Go  again,  love  a  woman,  beloved  of  a 
friend  and  an  adulteress,  according  to  the  love  of  Jahveh  toward  the 
children  of  Israel ;  though  they  are  turning  unto  other  gods,  and 
are  lovers  of  raisin  cakes.^  And  so  I  bought  *  her  to  me,  for  fifteen 
pieces  of  silver  and  a  homer  and  a  half  of  barley,  and  said  unto 
her,  Many  days  thou  shalt  abide  for  me  ;  thou  shalt  not  commit 
whoredom,  and  thou  shalt  not  belong  to  any  one.  And  I  also  will 
(abide)  for  thee.  For  during  many  days  the  children  of  Israel  will 
abide,  without  a  king  and  without  a  prince,  and  without  a  peace- 
ofifering  and  without  a  pillar,  and  without  an  ephod  or  teraphim.^ 


*  TJmbreit,  Commentar  u.  d.  Kleinen  Propheten^  Hamburg  18V7. 

2  "We  are  then  to  think  not  of  the  bridal  of  the  Messiah  of  the 
New  Testament,  which  is  from  another  point  of  view  like  that  of 
Ps.  xlv.,  but  of  the  Church  as  the  mother  (Rev.  xii.),  as  the  woman 
clothed  with  the  sun,  and  with  the  moon  under  her  feet,  and  having 
upon  her  head  a  crown  of  twelve  stars,  who  is  persecuted  by  the 
dragon  and  driven  into  the  wilderness,  yet  is  preserved  by  God  for 
eventual  restoration ;  for  as  Hengstenberg  says :  "  The  three 
stations — Egypt,  the  wilderness,  and  Canaan — are  ever  present; 
but  we  go  from  the  one  to  the  other  only  with  the  feet  of  the  spirit, 
and  not  as  under  the  Old  Covenant,  at  the  same  time  with  the  feet 
of  the  body." 

3  nti*"'tJ^N  =  grape  or  raisin  cake,  used  as  nn^D  by  the  worshippers 
of  Baal,  and  eaten  in  the  sacrificial  meals  (comp.  1  Sam.  xxv.  18). 

^  m3S<.  The  meaning  "buy"  is  generally  given  to  this  form 
mD  in  accordance  with  the  context.  The  price  is  the  price  of  a 
slave  (Ex.  xxi.  32),  half  in  money  and  half  in  barley.  The  wife  of 
Jahveh  had  become  the  slave  concubine  of  Baal.  There  is  here,  as 
in  chap,  ii.,  a  reference  to  deliverance  from  bondage  in  which  EgyjDt 
is  the  basis  of  representation. 

^  These  things  of  which  Israel  would  be  deprived  are  arranged  in 
three  pairs,  the  one  referring  to  the  service  of  Baal,  the  other  to  the 
service  of  Jahveh.  During  her  period  of  discipline,  civil  and 
religious  institutions  would  not  be  in  her  possession. 


174  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

Afterwards  the  children  of  Israel  will  return,  and  seek  Jahveh  their 
God  and  David  their  king  ;  and  come  trembling  ^  unto  Jahveh  and 
unto  his  goodness  in  the  latter  days." — Hos.  iii. 

This  passage  emphasizes  the  love  of  Jaliveh  towards 
Israel  notwithstanding  her  unfaithfulness,  a  love  which  is 
punitive  and  yet  restorative.  She  is  to  abide  many  days 
alone  as  a  widow  away  from  her  husband  and  away  from 
her  lover  Baal.  This  is  interpreted  to  mean  that  Israel 
will  abide  many  days  without  a  government  and  without 
a  worship  of  their  own,  without  the  king  of  David's  line 
and  without  a  prince  of  any  other  line,  without  the 
worship  of  Jahveh  and  without  the  worship  of  Baal. 
Afterwards  they  will  seek  Jahveh  their  God  and  David 
the  Messianic  king,  and  come  trembliug  to  Jahveh  in 
the  latter  days.  It  is  evident  that  the  prophet  does  not 
identify  the  human  Messiah,  the  second  David,  with 
Jahveh,  although  they  are  closely  united  so  that  a 
returning  to  the  one  is  a  returning  to  the  other.^ 

Hosea  gives  several  fine  pictures  of  the  restoration,  and 
uses  symbols  of  great  strength  and  beauty.  Chapter  xi. 
represents  the  deliverance  from  Egypt  under  the  figure  of 
a  father  teaching  his  son  to  walk  and  drawing  him  on 
with  cords  of  love.  But  the  son  becomes  rebellious 
notwithstanding  loving  care,  healing  words,  and  tender 
provisions  for  his  support.  On  this  account  he  is  delivered 
over  to  the  Assyrian.  The  prophet  then  grap]\ically 
depicts  the  grief  of  the  father  and  the  resulting  restora- 
tion. 

"  How  can  I  give  thee  up,  Ephraim  ; 
Deliver  thee  over,  Israel  ? 
How  can  I  make  thee  as  Admah,* 
Set  thee  as  Zeboim  ? 

^  i>^<  *inD  is  pregnant,  so  that  J<13  is  to  be  supphed. 

*  Compare  Ps.  ii.  and  ex.     See  pp.  132-137. 

*  These  are  the  cities  destroyed  with  Sodom  (Gen.  xiv.  8). 


MESSIANIC  IDEAS  OF  THE  EARLIER  PROPHETS.        l75 

Mine  heart  is  turned  within  me, 

My  compassions  are  kindled  together. 

I  will  not  execute  the  heat  of  my  anger, 

I  will  not  again  destroy  Ei>liraim  : 

For  I  am  ^El,  and  not  man  ; 

A  Holy  One  in  the  midst  of  thee  : 

And  I  will  not  come  to  consume/ 

After  Jahveh  they  will  go, 

As  a  lion  will  he  roar  : 

When  he  roaretli, 

Then  let  ^  children  come  trembling  from  the  seaward, 

Come  trembling  like  a  bird  from  Egypt, 

And  as  a  dove  from  the  land  of  Asshur  ; 

And  I  will  cause  them  to  dwell  in  their  houses, 

Is  the  utterance  of  Jahveh."  — Hos.  xi.  8-11. 

This  prediction  looks  forward  to  a  second  deliverance 
from  captivity  after  the  model  of  the  Egyptian.  But  the 
captivity  is  viewed  as  extending  to  Egypt,  Assyria  and 
the  seaward. 

Chap.  xiii.  gives  another  representation  of  the  punish- 
ment and  of  the  restoration.  Israel  has  destroyed  himself 
by  his  iniquity.  The  kings,  given  by  God  to  the  people 
reluctantly  in  accordance  with  their  cravings,  can  no 
longer  save  them.  The  time  for  punishment  has  come, 
Israel  is  to  die  and  be  restored  after  he  has  descended 
into  Sheol. 

^  "l^V?  might  be  brute,  cattle,  beast.  It  would  heighten  the  con- 
trast of  the  previous  line — God  and  no  man  ;  a  holy  God,  and  not  a 
beast  to  devour.  A.V.  and  E.V.  render  "in  the  city;"  but  this 
would  require  the  article  and  does  not  give  good  sense,  n"*!?  is  taken 
by  many,  De  Wette,  Henderson,  Gesenius,  and  Ewald,  as  from  n^y  = 
to  be  hot,  and  so  they  get  the  meaning  anger ;  but  this  is  question- 
able, and  is  not  in  accordance  with  the  parallelism.  Many  recent 
interpreters,  Steiner,  Cheyne,  et  al,  think  of  nyp,  to  consume,  destroy, 
and  point  it  as  infin.  or  participle.  This  is  suited  to  the  context  and 
seems  to  be  best. 

2  The  weak  1  with  the  imperf.  cannot  be  taken  as  the  apodosis, 
for  that  would  require  1  consec.  of  the  perfect.  We  might  take  it  aa 
in  emphatic  parallelism ;  but  we  would  rather  expect  that  the 
trembling  would  be  the  result  of  the  roaring,  and  not  co-ordinate 
with  it.    It  is  better  therefore  to  take  it  as  jussive. 


176  MESSIANIC  rROPHECY. 

"  From  the  power  of  Sheol  I  will  redeem  thee, 
From  death  I  will  ransom  thee. 
Where  are  thy  plagues,  Death  ? 
Where  is  thy  pestilence,  Sheol  ] 
Compassions  will  be  hid  from  mine  eyes." — Hos.  xiii.  14. 

Jahveh  here  summons  death  and  Sheol  to  do  their 
worst, — brmg  on  their  plagues  and  pestilences,  and  put 
Israel  to  death.  He  will  not  interpose  in  His  compassion 
to  save  the  nation.  But  after  the  nation  has  died  and 
has  gone  into  the  Sheol  of  the  nations,  then  Jahveh  will 
redeem  them  by  bringing  them  up  from  Sheol  and  by 
imparting  to  them  new  life.  The  prophet  thus  predicts 
a  national  resurrection.  This  is  the  first  appearance  of 
the  conception  of  a  resurrection  in  the  Old  Testament 
theology.  It  first  emerges  as  a  Messiaidc  idea,  in 
connection  with  the  restoration  of  the  nation  as  a  nation.^ 

Chap.  xiv.  2-10  represents  the  restoration  in  language 
of  tenderness  and  beauty.  The  Assyrian  captivity  is 
coming.  Nevertheless  it  will  not  totally  destroy  the 
nation.  The  people  are  called  to  repentance  and  obedi- 
ence, and  receive  the  promise  of  di^dne  love  and  revival 
The  poem  is  dramatic.  We  have  first  an  exhortation  of 
the  prophet,  then  Ephraim  addressing  Jahveh  in  penitence, 
and  Jahveh  responding  with  promises  of  blessing.  This 
is  then  continued  in  a  conversation  between  Ephraim 
and  Jahveh.     The  prophet  concludes  with  an  exhortation. 

{Prophet)  "  O  return,  Israel, 

Unto  "  Jahveh  thy  God  ; 

For  thou  hast  stimibled  by  thy  iniquity. 

1  The  R.V.  correctly  renders  this  passage  and  removes  the  errors 
of  the  A.Y.  The  passage  is  quoted  by  Paul  in  1  Cor.  xv.  55  and 
applied  to  the  triumph  of  the  individual  believer  over  death.  The 
application  was  a  proper  one.  It  is  not,  however,  an  interpretation 
of  our  passage,  for  it  has  in  mind  only  the  resurrection  of  Israel  as  a 
nation,  and  lias  no  reference  to  the  resurrection  of  the  body.  The 
same  idea  of  a  national  resuiTection  recurs  in  Ezek.  xxxvii. 

2  *]y  for  the  usual  ^S- 


MESSIANIC  IDEAS  OF  THE  EARLIER  PROPHETS.        177 

Take  with  you  words, 
And  return  unto  Jahveh  ; 
Say  unto  him  everything.^ 

{Israel)  Forgive  iniquity  and  accept  good  ^  things  ; 
And  we  will  render  the  fruit  ^  of  our  lips. 
Asshur  cannot  save  us, 
Upon  horses  we  will  not  ride, 
And  we  will  not  say  any  more  our  god 
To  the  work  of  our  hands  ; 
Thou  by  whom  the  orphan  receives  compassion. 

(Jahveh)  I  will  heal  their  apostasy, 
I  will  love  them  freely  ; 
For  my  anger  hath  turned  from  him. 
T  will  be  as  the  dew  to  Israel ; 
Let  him  bloom  as  the  wild  flower,* 
And  let  him  strike  his  roots  like  Lebanon, 
Let  ^  his  shoots  grow, 
And  let  his  majesty  be  as  the  olive, 
And  let  him  have  scent  like  Lebanon ; 

^  ^3  is  regarded  by  many  interpreters  as  a  rare  use  of  the  word 
as  an  adverh = altogether ;  but  Hebrew  idiom  would  use  the  infin. 
absolute  for  this  purpose.  It  is  taken  by  Vulgate,  R.Y.,  Henderson, 
Gesenius,  etc.,  as  a  rare  example  of  the  separation  of  this  adjective 
from  its  noun  =  all  iniquity ;  but  this  is  bad  syntax,  and  it  also 
makes  the  line  too  long  and  the  previous  line  too  short.  The 
LXX.  seems  to  have  read  instead  of  it  the  negative  ^  with  >::.  It 
is  best  to  attach  it  to  the  previous  line,  after  Houbigant,  Newcome, 
et  al.  These  make  it  qualify  the  subject  of  the  verb,  "  all  of  you  ;  " 
but  it  is  better  to  take  it  as  the  object,  "  all,  everything ^^  make  a 
complete  confession.     Compare  p3  nt^V)  Isa.  xliv.  24. 

2  3itD  is  also  taken  as  an  adverb  by  A.V.,  Henderson,  and  many 
others,  ^^  graciously.^'  But  it  is  better,  with  LXX.  Vulg.  R.V.,  and 
most  interpreters,  to  take  it  as  an  object  of  the  verb.  We  should 
then  refer  it  to  the  good  things  to  be  offered  as  a  sacrifice. 

^  CIQ.  Thus  pointed  it  is  bullock,  as  the  lips  are  represented  as 
taking  the  place  of  bullocks,  the  latter  being  in  explanatory  appo- 
sition ;  so  Vulgate,  Ewald,  R.V.  But  the  margin  of  the  R. V.  follows 
the  LXX.  and  Syriac.     Newcome  and  Steiner  rightly  prefer  it. 

*  ny^lK^.  The  wild  flower  of  Sharon,  the  anemone,  the  brilliant 
scarlet.     See  Song  of  Songs  ii.  1,  2. 

^  t]''  is  a  jussive  form,  and  this  forces  us  to  render  it  as  jussive, 
and  make  the  context  conform  thereto. 


178  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

Let  those  who  abide  in  his  shadow  return, 

Let  them  quicken  ^  the  corn, 

And  let  them  bloom  Hke  the  vine, 

And  their  memory  be  as  the  wine  of  Lebanon. 

Ephraim  ^  What  have  I  to  do  any  more  with  idols  1 
{Jahveh)  I  have  responded,  and  I  shall  ^  regard  him. 

{Ephraim)  I  am  like  a  green  cypress. 

{Jahveh)  Of  me  is  thy  fruit  found. 

{Prophet)  Whoso  is  wise,  let  him  understand  these  things ; 
Understanding,  let  him  know  them  : 
That  the  ways  of  Jahveh  are  upright, 
And  the  righteous  walk  therein, 
But  transgressors  stumble  therein." 

Tlie  restoration  of  Israel  is  here  conceived  as  accom- 
panied with  great  prosperity,  as  in  Joel  and  Amos.*  The 
land  becomes  exceedingly  fertile  like  the  slopes  of 
Lebanon.  Corn  and  wine,  the  olive  tree,  aromatic  plants, 
and  wild  flowers  abound.  The  people  rejoice  under  the 
love  and  blessing  of  Jahveh,  all  the  more  that  they  have 
been  restored  to  favour  after  a  season  of  discipline  on 
account  of  sin,  and  that  in  the  experience  of  heartfelt 
repentance  they  have  found  forgiveness. 

Messianic  prophecy  in  this  period  has  advanced  under 
the  experience  of  suffering  on  the  part  of  Israel,  and  in 

^  Quicken  the  corn,  to  make  it  live  and  grow,  or  cultivate  it ;  a 
strange  expression,  justified  by  the  symbolism  of  the  passage. 

2  Ephraim  is  here  introduced  into  the  text  by  mistake.  It 
really  belongs  to  the  margin  or  the  thought.  So  the  Jewish  inter- 
preters Raschi,  Aben  Ezra,  and  Kimchi  supply  '^0i<^  Cheyne, 
Nowack,  et  al.  follow  the  LXX.,  and  regard  all  but  the  third  member 
of  the  verse  as  the  words  of  Jahveh,  and  accordingly  read  17  for 
"»^.  But  these  first  lines  are  as  we  have  given  them,  the  first  and 
third  words  of  Ephraim,  the  second  and  fourth  words  of  Jahveh. 

^  "IJIIC^Nll.     The  tense  changes  to  contrast  the  response  ah'eady 

given  with  the  promise  of  future  watchful  care. 
*  See  pp.  158  and  162. 


MESSIANIC  IDEAS  OF  THE  EARLIER  PROPHETS.         179 

view  of  the  impending  exile  of  the  northern  kingdom. 
Both  lines  of  the  Messianic  idea  assume  a  new  form  in 
view  of  these  circumstances.  The  advent  of  Jahveh  has 
two  sides.  It  is  on  the  one  hand  for  the  revival  of 
Israel,  and  on  the  other  hand  for  the  judgment  of  all  the 
nations  that  are  hostile  to  His  kingdom.  It  is  especially 
the  restoration  of  Israel  that  is  emphasized.  The  restora- 
tion is  represented  as  the  remarriage  of  an  adulterous 
wife  after  a  period  of  discipline ;  as  the  recall  from  exile 
of  a  rebellious  son ;  as  the  resurrection  from  the  dead  of 
one  upon  whom  the  plagues  of  death  have  been  heaped 
by  divine  punishment ;  as  the  bestowal  of  blessings  upon 
a  repenting  people ;  as  a  revival  through  the  outpouring 
of  the  divine  Spirit  upon  all  classes  and  conditions  of 
men ;  and  as  the  bestowal  of  wonderful  fertility  and 
peace  upon  the  holy  land. 

The  house  of  David  is  to  fall  into  ruins  and  then  be 
rebuilt,  and  gain  its  supremacy  over  Israel  and  the 
nations.  The  returning  exiles  are  to  return  in  allegiance 
to  David  as  well  as  to  Jahveh,  and  are  to  unite  under 
His  headship. 


CHAPTEE  yil. 

ISAIAH  AXD  HIS  CONTEMPORAEIES. 

The  earlier  prophets,  whose  predictions  we  have  con- 
sidered in  the  previous  chapter,  had  the  rival  kingdoms 
of  Israel  and  Judah  more  or  less  in  view.  They  accom- 
panied the  northern  kingdom  in  its  failures  with  their 
expostulations,  rebukes,  exhortations  and  promises.  The 
Assyrian  period  came,  and  this  great  world-power,  after 
conquering  Syria,  the  earlier  foe  of  Israel,  finally  over- 
threw Israel  herself  and  removed  considerable  numbers  of 
the  people  into  captivity.  The  age  of  Hezekiah  intro- 
duces a  new  era  of  revival  and  prosperity  for  Judah, 
after  severe  struggles  and  conflicts.  Judah  is  now  alone 
the  kingdom  of  God  without  a  rival.  Jerusalem 
becomes  the  centre  of  the  kingdom  of  God  as  never 
before.  The  Assyrian  is  the  rod  of  chastisement.  He 
strives  to  reduce  Judah  to  the  same  condition  as  Israel, 
but  in  vain.  For  the  struggle  is  now  a  struggle  about 
the  holy  standard  itself,  and  Jahveh  espouses  the  cause  of 
His  suffering  people.  He  raises  up  His  greatest  prophets. 
He  pours  forth  divine  instruction  in  richness  and  fulness 
transcending  every  previous  period.  Jahveh  Himself 
comes  down  in  theophany  as  in  days  of  old,  and  works 
stupendous  miracles  in  the  destruction  of  the  host  of 
Sennacherib  and  in  the  healing  of  Hezekiah.^  A  new 
era  began  for  Judah.  A  great  revival  took  place. 
Sacred  psalmody  and  wisdom  were  revived.  Collections 
*  2  Elings  xix.-xx. ;  Isa.  xxxvii.-xxxviii 

ISO 


ISAIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPOEARIES.  181 

of  psalms  and  sentences  were  made,  and  several  great 
prophets  uttered  prophecies  which  emphasized  as  never 
before  the  spirituality  of  the  true  religion,  and  urged  the 
nation  to  move  forward  toward  the  realization  of  the 
prophetic  ideal. 

The  earliest  of  the  prophecies  of  this  period  is  probably 
that  little  piece  which  was  quoted  by  Isaiah  and  Micah 
from  an  older  prophet.-^  These  two  prophets  use  the 
older  prediction,  and  set  it  in  the  midst  of  other  pre- 
dictions. The  variations  between  the  two  texts  are  slight. 
We  give  the  original  text  so  far  as  we  can  from  a  careful 
criticism  of  the  two  passages. 

I.  THE  EXALTATION  OE  THE  HOUSE  OF  JAHVEHi 

§  54.  The  temple  mount  is  to  he  exalted  above  all 
mountains  as  the  throiie  of  Jahveh,  the  goal  of  the  pilgj^im- 
age  of  the  nations,  the  source  of  instruction  and  judgment. 
The  reign  of  Jaliveh  will  result  in  the  destruction  of  the 
weapons  of  war,  and  in  universal  peace  and  prosperity, 

"  And  in  the  latter  days  it  will  come  to  pass, 
That  the  mountain  of  the  house  of  Jahveh  will  appear, 
EstabHshed  ^  on  the  top  of  the  mountains,^ 
And  it  will  be  exalted  above  the  hills  ; 


^  Isa.  ii.  1-4  ;  Micah  iv.  1-5. 

2  Isa.  ii.  2  destroys  the  rhythm  by  transposing  \\21  to  the  beginning 
of  the  sentence,  before  nin\  riTI^  means,  to  become,  to  come  forth, 
to  appear. 

^  J^X"13  =  on  the  head  or  top  of  the  mountains,  that  is,  exalted 
above  them  all,  so  that  all  mountains  radiate  from  it  to  the  several 
parts  of  the  earth.  It  is  thus  rendered  visible  to  all  that  they  may 
direct  their  pilgrimages  thither.  This  physical  transformation  is  in 
the  mind  of  Ezek.  xl.  2  and  Zech.  xiv.  10.  It  is  impossible  in 
fact,  but  this  makes  it  all  the  more  evident  that  the  prediction  is  in 
the  sjinbolical  form  (see  p.  50  seq.).  It  is  against  the  context  to 
render,  with  Kleinert  and  others,  "  as  the  chief  of  the  mountains," 
as  pre-eminent  in  estimation. 


182  MESSIANIC  PKOPHECY. 

And  peoples  will  flow  unto  it.^ 
And  many  nations  will  go  and  say, 
Come  and  let  us  go  up  unto  the  mount  of  Jahveh, 
Unto  the  house  of  the  God  of  Jacob  ; 
That  he  may  teach  us  of  his  ways, 
And  that  we  may  walk  in  his  paths  ; 
For  out  of  Zion  will  go  forth  instruction, 
And  the  word  of  Jahveh  from  Jerusalem. 
And  he  will  judge  between  the  nations,^ 
And  admonish  many  peoples  ; 
And  they  will  beat  their  swords  into  ploughshares, 
And  their  spears  into  pruning-hooks  ;  ^ 
Nation  will  not  lift  up  sword  against  nation, 
And  they  will  not  learn  war  any  more. 
And  they  will  dwell  each  under  his  vine 
And  under  his  fig-tree,  and  none  will  make  them  afraid.* 
For  the  mouth  of  Jahveh  Sabaoth  hath  spoken  it." 

The  prophet  beholds  the  temple  mount,  which  had 
been  highly  exalted  by  the  erection  of  the  temple  of 
Solomon,  despised  and  scorned  by  the  proud  hills  of  the 
earth  upon  which  the  temples  of  other  gods  were  situated.^ 
He  sees  this  temple  mount  rising  from  its  degraded  con- 

1  Isaiah  reads  D^liH  ^D  V^&5  nn::i ;  Micah,  D^Dy  vhv  T\n:).  The 
text  of  Micah  is  to  be  preferred.  The  preposition  py  is  more  suited 
to  the  idea  of  the  mountain  ascent.  There  is  a  variation  in  the 
terms  D''Dy  and  D""")!!  throughout,  and  this  variation  is  not  uniform, 
but  seemingly  capricious.  Thus  Isaiah  uses  Ci;!  in  Unes  5  and  13 
for  the  D"'Cy  of  Micah,  but  the  reverse  is  the  case  in  lines  6  and  14. 
But  the  LXX.  of  Isaiah  in  line  6  reads  D""!!!,  and  this  is  doubtless 
correct. 

2  This  line  and  the  following  are  lengthened  in  Micah  by  the 
addition  of  cai  in  the  former  and  pirn"*iy  in  the  latter.  The 
shoiter  lines  of  Isaiah  are  more  suited  to  the  rhythm.  Isaiah  uses 
D"'3"»  D'^JOy  for  D''^Vy  D"'1J  of  Micah.  These  seem  to  be  intentional 
variations.  But  the  simplicity  of  the  text  of  Isaiah  commends  itself 
as  more  likely  to  be  that  of  the  original  author. 

^  There  are  several  slight  variations,  e.g.  fj^  in  Isaiah  ;  "Jj^l  in 
Micah  (1.  8) ;  Dfimn  in  Isaiah  for  Dn^nmn  in  Micah  (1.  15) ; 
fc^ti^''  in  Isaiah  for  l&<t>>t  in  Micah  (1.  17)  ;  'moi?"'  in  Isaiah  for  Y\1)J?> 
in  Micah  (1.  18). 

*  Lines  19,  20  and  21  are  only  given  by  Micah. 

*  Comp.  Ps.  Ixviii.  15,  16. 


ISAIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPOKAKIES.  183 

dition,  until  it  towers  above  the  mountains  as  the  central 
mountain  of  the  world,  visible  and  accessible  to  all 
nations  who  flow  in  streams  of  pilgrimage  unto  it.  From 
the  presence  of  Jahveh  goes  forth  instruction  to  guide 
them  so  that  they  walk  in  the  light  of  it.  At  the  same 
time  judgment  goes  forth  to  destroy  the  instruments  of 
war,  so  that  every  one  may  abide  in  peace  and  safety. 
Universal  and  everlasting  peace  is  the  goal  of  the 
prediction. 

It  is  vain  to  seek  for  any  physical  fulfilment  of  the 
prediction.  The  sublime  description  transcends  anything 
that  is  physical  or  historical,  and  from  this  very  fact 
points  to  the  ideal  content  which  is  realized  in  the 
exaltation  of  Jesus  Christ  to  be  the  heavenly  temple,  the 
source  of  instruction,  judgment  and  everlasting  peace  to 
the  world. 

The  higher  criticism  of  Zechariah  has  shown  that  the 
section  chaps.  ix.-xi.  belongs  to  the  age  of  Hezekiah. 
It  differs  from  the  other  parts  of  Zechariah  (1)  in 
historical  situation,  which  is  in  the  last  days  of  the 
northern  kingdom ;  (2)  in  style  and  language,  especially 
in  its  poetical  structure  and  spirit ;  (3)  in  its  theological 
conception.  There  are  several  important  Messianic  ideas 
in  this  beautiful  trimeter  poem.  These  are  in  many 
Tespects  presupposed  in  the  corresponding  predictions  of 
Isaiah  and  Micah.^  It  would  seem  that  this  section, 
together  with  the  section  chaps,  xii.-xiv.,  by  a  post-exilic 

1  C.  H.  H,  Wright,  in  his  Zechariah  and  his  Prophecies  coTisidered 
in  relation  to  Modern  Criticism,  London  1879,  does  not  succeed  in 
removing  the  objections  to  the  traditional  view.  Stade  in  ZeitschHft 
f.  alttest.  Wissenschaft,  1882,  rightly  sees  that  Zech.  xii.-xiv.  is 
post-exilic,  but  does  not  sufficiently  estimate  the  differences  between 
this  section  and  the  one  now  under  consideration.  We  cannot  enter 
on  the  discussion  here ;  see  OreUi  in  I.e.  p.  251  seq.  We  put  the 
Messianic  predictions  in  their  historical  order,  and  this  presents  one 
line  of  argument  for  the  proper  historic  situation. 


184  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

author  other  than  Zechariah,  were  appended  to  Zechariah 
in  order  to  make  the  four  books  of  the  prophets  symme- 
trical in  length.  The  same  was  the  case  with  the  addi- 
tions to  Isaiah/  It  should  always  he  remembered  that 
the  twelve  lesser  prophets  were  in  ancient  times  treated 
as  a  single  book. 

n.    THE  KING  OF  PEACE. 

§  55.  Zion  rejoices  at  the  advent  of  her  king,  who 
comes  mech  and  yet  victorious,  riding  upon  the  foal  of  an 
ass.  He  has  destroyed  the  wecqoons  of  war^  and  reigns  in 
'peace  over  the  earth. 

"  Exult  greatly,  O  daughter  of  Zion  ; 
Shout  for  joy,  O  daughter  of  Jerusalem  : 
Lo,  thy  king  cometh  to  thee  : 
Bighteous  and  victorious  ^  is  he ; 
Lowly,  and  riding  upon  an  ass, 
Even  upon  a  colt,  the  foal  of  an  ass. 
And  I  will  cut  ofif  the  chariot  from  Ephraim, 
And  the  horse  from  Jerusalem, 
And  the  battle  bow  wiU  be  cut  ofif ; 
And  he  will  speak  peace  to  the  nations  ; 
And  his  rule  will  be  from  sea  to  sea. 
And  from  the  Biver  unto  the  ends  of  earth." 

— Zech.  ix.  9,  10. 

This  prediction  presents  the  same  essential  idea  as  the 
prophecy  just  considered,  ]\Iicah  iv.  1-5.  The  establish- 
ment of  universal  peace  is  there  attributed  to  the  exalta- 
tion of  the  temple,  and  here  it  is  attributed  to  the  \ictory 
of  the  Messianic  king ;  but  the  theme  of  both  predictions 

1  See  p.  192. 

2  ytJ^j  is  Niph.  part,  of  J?ir\  save,  and  is  "  one  saved,"  e.g.  by  God 

and  hence  triumphant,  victorious,  Isa.  xlv.  17 ;  Deut.  xxxiii.  29. 
"Having  salvation"  of  the  B.V.  is  hardly  correct.  The  margin, 
"  having  victory,"  is  better. 


ISAIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORAEIES.  185 

is  universal  and  everlasting  peace.  It  is  probable  that 
both  pieces  came  from  the  same  unknown  prophet.  The 
king  is  here  presented  in  somewhat  different  features 
from  the  king  of  the  Psalter.^  There  the  glory  and 
power  of  the  king  were  emphasized.  Here  the  king's 
humility  and  righteousness.  He  rides  upon  the  ass,  the 
animal  of  peace,  because  the  war-horses  have  been 
destroyed.  The  representation  is  nearest  to  that  of 
Ps.  Ixxii.  We  have  here  the  original  of  the  repre- 
sentations of  Isaiah  and  Micah.^ 


m.    KESTOEATION  THROUGH  THE  SEA  TROUBLE. 

§  5Q.  Israel  and  Judah  will  he  restored  from  exile  to 
their  own  land.  Jahveh  will  hring  them  from  Egy;pt  and 
Assyria  ly  means  of  great  wonders,  and  they  will  dwell  in 
the  lands  of  Gilead  and  Lebanon,  and  walk  in  the  name  of 
Jahveh. 

This  passage  continues  the  previous  prophecy,  and 
predicts  the  restoration  of  Israel  and  Judah  after  exile. 

I.  "  When  ^  Jahveh  Sabaoth  hath  visited 
His  flock,  the  house  of  Judah, 
He  will  make  them  as  his  war-horse  *  in  the  battle  ; 
From  him  is  the  corner-stone,  from  him  the  tent-pin, 
From  him  is  the  battle-bow, 
From  him  comes  forth  every  oppressor,  together. 
And  they  will  become  as  heroes  trampling  under  foot 
In  the  mire  of  the  streets,  in  the  battle ; 
And  they  will  fight  when  ^  Jahveh  is  with  them, 


1  Pss.  ex.,  ii.,  xlv.    See  §§  43,  44,  45,  46. 

^  Isa.  ix.  1-7,  xi.  1-9  ;  Micah  v.  2-5. 

^  It  is  best  to  take  '>3  in  both  of  these  cases  as  having  temporal 
force  rather  than  causal. 

^  "iTin  DID = his  majestic  horse  in  the  battle,  reminds  one  of  the 
war-horse  of  Job  xxxix.  20.  C.  H.  H.  Wright  renders  state-horse. 
The  context  favours  war-horse. 


186  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

Aod  tlie  riders  on  horses  will  be  put  to  shame.  1 

And  I  will  strengthen  the  house  of  Judah,  ' 

And  the  house  of  Josej^h  will  I  save.  i 

II.  And  I  will  restore  ^  them,  for  I  have  compassion  on  them,        \ 

And  will  become  as  when  I  did  not  cast  them  oflf :  j 

For  I,  Jahveh,  am  their  God  ;  yea,  I  will  answer  them.*  | 

And  Ephraim  vdU.  become  like  a  hero,  ; 
And  their  lieart  will  rejoice  as  with  wine ; 
And  their  sons  will  see  and  be  glad  ; 

Let  ^  their  heart  exult  m  Jahveh.  ; 
I  will  hiss  for  them,  and  I  will  gather  them  ; 
When  I  have  redeemed  them,  they  will  multiply  as  they  didi 

multiply  ;  * 

And  I  will  scatter  them  ^  among  the  peoples,  '^ 

And  in  the  distant  parts  they  will  remember  me,  < 

And  live  with  their  sons,  and  return.  i 

III.  And  I  will  restore  them  from  the  laud  of  Egj^pt,  j 

And  from  Assyria  will  I  gather  them  ;  J 

And  unto  the  land  of  Gilead  will  they  come,  ; 

And  to  Lebanon  will  I  brmg  them  ;  '.| 

And  room  will  not  be  found  for  tliem.  1 

And  he  will  pass  through  the  sea  Trouble,®  rj 

And  smite  the  sea  Billows,  j 
And  put  to  shame  all  the  gulfs  of  the  Nile  ; 
And  the  pride  of  AssjTia  will  be  brought  low, 
And  the  sceptre  will  depart  from  Egypt. 


^  CniDK^n  is  a  composite  form  which  has  arisen  from  a  doubt; 
whether  it  was  D^"^3i^'1^  from  2^''  or  D>nu^L^^■t  from  2)1^.  Thai 
LXX.  read  the  former,  and  is  followed  by  the  margin  of  R.V.j 
after  Gesenius,  Hengstenberg,  Chambers,  et  al.  The  Yulgatej 
and  Peshitto  read  the  latter,  and  are  followed  by  Ewald.  This  is 
better,  as  at  the  beginning  of  the  next  strophe. 

2  The  1  used  with  D^yxi  should  be  noted.     It  is  the  intensive  "|.  ; 

*  73'»  is  jussive  in  form  and  should  have  a  jussive  meaning.     So' 

C.  H.  H.  Wright  properly  renders  it.  j 

*  The  multiplication  of  Israel  in  the  future  is  based  upon  theiri 
multiplication  in  former  days.  I 

^  This  expression  reminds  us  of  Hos.  i.  6  seq. 
^  Water  is  a  frequent  figure  of  trouble  and  distress  both  fori 
individuals  and  nations,  see  Ps.  Ixix.  2  and  Isa.  xvii.  12.  i 


ISAIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPOKAEIES.  187 

And  I  will  strengthen  them  in  Jahveh  ; 

And  in  his  name  will  they  walk  about,  is  the  utterance  of 
Jahveh."  — Zech.  x.  3-12. 

This  is  a  prediction  of  an  ultimate  victory  of  the  house 
of  Judah  and  the  house  of  Joseph  combined  in  a  struggle 
against  their  common  enemies.  Under  the  leadership  of 
Jahveh  Sabaoth  they  become  heroic,  and  like  the  war- 
horse  trample  under  foot  all  who  resist  them.  Ephraim 
is  to  go  into  exile  and  be  scattered  as  seed  in  distant 
parts,  in  Egypt  and  Assyria.  He  is  to  pass  through  the 
sea  wliich  is  called  Trouble  and  Billows,  but  he  will  be 
restored  from  Egypt  and  Assyria  and  will  walk  in  the 
name  of  Jahveh.^ 


rV.    THE  REJECTED  SHEPHERD. 

5  7.  Tlic  good  She'pherd,  Jahveh,  rejects  His  flock  Israel, 
He  has  heen  estimated,  hy  them  at  the  miserable  jprice  of  a 
slave.  These  poor  wages  are  rejected,  and  the  Shepherd's 
staves,  heaiity  and  concord,  are  broken  as  a  symbol  of  the 
separation. 

The  previous  context  describes  the  evil  shepherds 
destroying  the  flock  for  their  own  advantage,  and  closes 
with  the  resolution  of  Jahveh  to  act  as  the  shepherd  of 

1  This  piece  is  intermediate  in  its  representations  between  Hosea 
on  the  one  side  and  Isaiah  and  Micah  on  the  other.  The  reference 
to  the  house  of  Judah  and  the  house  of  Joseph  is  after  the  manner 
of  Hos.  i.  6,  7.  The  scattering  and  multiplication  of  Israel  is  like 
Hos.  i.  4,  10,  ii.  23.  The  sea  Trouble  resembles  the  Vale  of  the 
Troubler  of  Hos.  ii.  15.  On  the  other  hand,  the  reference  to  the 
northern  frontier,  Gilead  and  Lebanon,  corresponds  with  the  refer- 
ence to  the  land  of  Zebulun  and  Naphtali,  Perea  and  district  of  the 
nations,  in  Isa.  ix.  1.  The  restoration  from  Egypt  and  Assyria 
resembles  Hos,  xi.  10,  11,  but  it  is  much  nearer  Isa.  xi.  15,  16.  The 
walking  in  the  name  of  Jahveh  resembles  Micah  iv.  2-5.  It  seems 
to  us  that  essentially  the  same  historic  situation  must  be  at  the 
basis  of  these  predictions,  and  that  our  passage  is  intermediate 
between  Hosea  and  Isaiah. 


188  MESSIAiaC  PROPHECY. 

this  most  miserable  flock,  wHcli  is  about  to  be  led  to  the 
slaughter. 

I.  "  And  I  took  me  two  staves, 

One  I  called  Beauty,^ 

And  the  other  I  called  Concord  ;  ^ 

And  I  served  as  shepherd  of  the  flock, 

And  destroyed  the  three  shepherds  in  one  month  ; 

And  my  soul  became  weary  with  them, 

And  their  soul  also  loathed  me.  ] 

And  I  said,  I  will  not  be  your  shepherd ;  ! 

The  one  about  to  die  will  die,  j 

And  the  one  to  be  destroyed  will  be  destroyed,  \ 

And  the  rest  will  devour  j 

Each  the  flesh  of  his  companion. 

II.  And  I  took  my  staff  Beauty,  ^ 
And  cut  it  asunder,  j 
To  break  the  covenant  > 
That  I  had  concluded  vnth  all  peoples.  •  1 
And  it  was  broken  in  that  day : 

And  the  most  miserable  sheep  knew  it  was  so^  ' 

Those  who  regard  me —  \ 

That  it  was  the  word  of  Jahveh, 

And  I  said  unto  them. 

If  it  seem  good  to  you,  ' 

Give  me  my  hire  ;  > 

And  if  not,  leave  it.  , 

m.  And  they  weighed  my  hire  thirty  silverlings, 
And  Jahveh  said  unto  me, 
Cast  it  out  for  the  potter  : 
The  lordly  price 
That  I  am  prized  at  of  them. 


^  D^J  =  beauty,  loveliness,  the  endearing  name  of  the  relation  o| 
the  shepherd  to  the  flock.  It  is  j^urely  ideal  of  what  the  relation; 
ought  to  be.  i 

^  Dv2n  is  an  abstract  intensive  plural,  meaning,  concord  (soj 
Ewald  renders,  "  Eintracht ").  It  is  usually  rendered  as  bands  orj 
bonds.     Orelli  renders  "  confederacy."  j 


ISAIAH  AND  HIG  CONTEMPOKAEIES.  189 

And  I  took  the  thirty  silverlings, 

And  cast  it  out 

In  the  house  of  God  for  the  potter. 

And  I  cut  asunder  my  second  staff, 

The  Concord, 

To  break  the  brotherhood 

Between  Judah  and  Israel."  — Zech.  xi.  7-14. 

This  passage  is  given  by  the  interpreters  generally  in 
the  prose  form.  They  are  led  to  do  so  on  the  theory 
that  we  have  here  a  narrative  of  what  the  prophet  did 
in  obedience  to  the  command.  But  the  entire  piece  is  a 
poem  of  the  trimeter  movement  and  of  the  same 
strophical  organization.  In  fact,  it  was  impossible  for 
the  prophet  to  illustrate  the  command  of  Jahveh  in 
symbolic  action.  He  could  take  the  staves  and  then 
break  them.  He  might  induce  some  one  to  give  him  the 
thirty  silverlings,  and  then  could  cast  them  away.  But 
these  are  a  very  small  portion  of  the  shepherd's  com- 
mission. He  is  to  act  as  shepherd.  He  cuts  off  three 
other  shepherds,  probably  the  kings  of  the  time.  He  is 
accepted  as  a  shepherd  for  a  season  and  then  afterwards  is 
rejected,  and  the  money  is  given  him  as  his  hire.  The 
shepherd  of  Israel  is  Jahveh  the  King,  and  can  be  no  one 
else.^  This  piece  involves  the  coexistence  of  the  two 
kingdoms  of  Judah  and  Israel.  It  relates  to  the  final 
ruin  of  the  kingdom  of  Israel  on  account  of  their  rejection 
of  the  sovereignty  of  Jahveh.  There  is  a  striking 
resemblance  to  Hosea  in  the  silverlings,  the  price  of  a 
slave.  Hosea  gives  this  as  the  price  paid  by  Jahveh  for 
Israel  when  she  was  redeemed  from  her  bondage  as  a 
slave  concubine.  It  is  here  the  price  that  Israel  pays 
for  the  care  that  Jahveh  had  exercised  over  them.  The 
staff  Beauty  is  the  symbol  of  the  estimation  in  which 
Jahveh  held  His  people.  It  is  parallel  with  the  faithful 
1  See  C.  H.  H.  Wright  in  I.e.  p.  304. 


190  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

love  of  Jahveh  as  represented  by  Hosea.  The  staff 
Concord  is  the  symbol  of  the  brotherly  union  between 
Israel  and  Judah.  Hosea  represents  that  this  brother- 
hood will  again  be  recognized  in  the  final  restoration. 
The  same  conception  recurs  in  Ezekiel/  The  rejection 
of  the  shepherd  Jahveh,  and  of  the  people  of  Israel  by 
Jahveh,  is  similar  to  the  mutual  rejection  of  husband  and 
wife  in  Hosea.^ 

Isaiah, 

Isaiah  is  beyond  question  the  greatest  of  the  Old 
Testament  prophets.  In  a  prophetic  activity  extending 
through  a  long  period  of  varied  experiences  and  historical 
changes,  he  has  given  us  one  of  the  grandest  monuments 
of  inspired  thought  and  utterance.  Isaiah  was  a  many- 
sided  man,  indeed  we  might  say  all-sided,  for  his  peculi- 
arities consist  not  in  individualities  of  style  or  thought, 
but  in  that  he  combines  in  his  fully  rounded  character 
the  excellences  of  all  who  had  gone  before  him,  adopting 
and  building  into  the  system  of  his  prophecy  the  best 
thoughts  of  his  contemporaries  and  predecessors,  yet  with 
such  an  originality  and  appropriateness  of  setting  that  no 
one  could  regard  him  as  a  copyist  or  a  plagiarist.  "  He  is 
not  the  especially  lyrical  prophet,  or  the  especially 
elegiacal  prophet,  or  the  especially  oratorical  and  horta- 
tory prophet,  as  we  should  describe  a  Joel,  a  Hosea,  a 
Micah,  with  whom  there  is  a  greater  prevalence  of  some 

1  See  §  82. 

^  This  i);i.ss;ige  is  applied  to  the  betrayal  of  Jesus  by  Judas  in 
Matt,  xxvii.  5.  Jesus  the  Messiah  is  the  divine  Shepherd,  who 
was  rejected  and  sold  into  bondage  for  this  miserable  price.  The 
correspondence,  in  fact,  is  not  owing  to  the  precision  of  the  prophetic 
prediction,  but  is  owing  to  the  correspondence  in  situation  between 
the  rejected  Jahveh  of  the  times  of  the  decay  of  the  northern  kingdom 
of  Israel  and  the  rejected  Messiah  of  the  New  Testament.  The 
prophecy  of  the  rejected  shepherd  is  here  not  direct  prophecy  but 
simply  and  alone  typical. 


ISAIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPOKARIES.  191 

particular  colour ;  but,  just  as  the  subject  requires,  he 
has  readily  at  command  every  different  kind  of  style  and 
every  different  change  of  delineation  ;  and  it  is  precisely 
this  that,  in  point  of  language,  establishes  his  greatness, 
as  well  as  in  general  forms  one  of  his  most  towering  points 
of  excellence.  His  only  fundamental  peculiarity  is  the 
lofty  majestic  calmness  of  his  style,  proceeding  out  of  the 
perfect  command  which  he  feels  that  he  possesses  over 
his  subject-matter."  ^ 

The  prophecies  of  Isaiah  cover  a  wide  range,  both  as 
to  subject-matter  and  as  to  form.  His  prophecies  relate 
to  Israel,  and  the  nations  brought  into  relations  with  her. 
They  spring  up  out  of  the  circumstances  of  the  historical 
present  in  order  to  leap  forth  into  the  most  distant 
future.  No  prophet  sees  more  clearly  and  describes  more 
vividly  the  Messiah  and  His  times. 

The  Book  of  Isaiah  is  a  collection  of  several  groups 
of  prophecies  by  Isaiah  himself,  to  which  have  been 
attached  other  anonymous  prophecies,  which  are  in  his 
spirit  and  style,  from  his  own  times  and  also  from  the 
period  of  the  exile.  It  is  first  necessary  to  eliminate  those 
that  rejflect  the  situation  of  the  exile.  These  recognise 
that  Babylon  is  the  great  enemy,  and  that  deliverance  from 
Babylon  is  the  great  Messianic  blessing ;  whereas  Isaiah 
is  the  great  prophet  of  the  Assyrian  period.  The  sections 
to  be  removed  are  (1)  xiii.— xiv.  23  ;  (2)  xxiv.-xxvii. ; 
(3)  xxxiv.-xxxv. ;  (4)  the  great  prophecy  contained  in 
chaps,  xl.-lxvi.  It  seems  that  these  anonymous  pro- 
phecies were  gathered  about  the  name  of  Isaiah  as  the 
sentences  of  wisdom  were  grouped  about  the  name  of 
Solomon,  the  psalms  about  the  name  of  David,  and  the 
laws  about  the  name  of  Moses.  These  pieces  differ  from 
the  writings  of  Isaiah  in  style,  historic  situation,  theology 

^  Ewald,  Die  Propheten  des  alten  BundeSy  i.  p.  280,  Gottingen 
1867-68. 


192  MESSIANIC  PKOPHECT. 

and  conception,  altliough  they  resemble  him  in  spirit,  and 
approj)riate  not  a  few  of  liis  ideas.-^ 

Limiting  ourselves  to  the  genuine  prophecies  of  Isaiah, 
they  may  be  arranged  in  three  groups.  (1)  Chaps,  i-xii 
These  relate  to  di\dne  judgments  upon  Judah  and  Israel. 
There  were  two  successive  editings  of  this  group  by 
Isaiah  or  his  disciples.  Chaps,  ii-v.  were  first  pubhshed, 
and  then  the  larger  collection.  Chaps.  vi.-xii.  were 
appended,  and  chap.  i.  was  made  the  introduction  to  the 
whole.  (2)  Chaps,  xiv.  24-xxiii.  This  is  a  group  of 
messages  against  the  surrounding  nations :  Philistia, 
Moab,  Damascus,  Israel,  Ethiopia,  Egypt,  Babylon,  Edom, 
Arabia,  Tyre  and  the  valley  of  vision  (Jerusalem). 
(3)  Chaps.  xx\dii.— xxxiii.  give  a  group  of  woes  upon 
Israel  and  Judah  in  view  of  certain  definite  transgressions.^ 

In  the  first  group  of  the  prophecies  of  Isaiah  there 


^  The  unity  of  Isaiah  is  still  stoutly  defended  by  many  scholars, 
who  prefer  to  adhere  to  the  traditional  view  with  all  its  difficulties, 
rather  than  follow  the  methods  of  the  higher  criticism,  and  accept 
its  results.  The  same  essential  principles  are  involved  in  the  literary 
analysis  of  Isaiah  as  in  the  literary  analysis  of  the  Pentateuch,  the 
Psalter,  and  the  Book  of  Proverbs  and  the  "Wisdom  literature 
generally.  Tradition  has  ascribed  these  gi'oups  of  wi-itings  to  the 
four  gi'eatest  names  in  Hebrew  literary  history.  But  literary  and 
historical  criticism  in  all  these  cases  has  disclosed  gi^oups  of  writings 
of  different  authors  and  different  times.  This  literary  analysis  has 
disturbed  many  traditional  opinions  that  seem  to  have  had  no  other 
origin  than  pure  conjecture  ;  but  it  has  enabled  us  to  undei-stand 
the  historic  origin  of  the  several  writings,  has  given  the  key  to  their 
correct  interpretation,  and  lias  showTi  the  wondrous  variety  of  form 
and  content  in  Hebrew  literature.  The  develojiment  of  the  inspired 
literature  and  the(»logy  is  now  beginning  to  disclose  itself  with  a 
wealth  of  meaning  which  was  unknown  to  those  who  in  an  uncritical 
age  imposed  their  conjectures  upon  the  word  of  God,  and  which 
escapes  those  who  allow  themselves  to  be  blinded  by  these  human 
conjectures  and  traditions  to  the  real  facts  and  truths  of  the 
Scriptures  themselves.  We  have  no  space  here  to  discuss  the 
question.  We  shall  arrange  the  ^vTitings  in  their  historic  order, 
and  let  the  development  of  the  Messianic  idea  give  its  own  testimony. 
See  especially  Chap.  X. 

^  See  W.  II.  Smith,  FropJiets  of  Israel^  p.  210  seq. 


ISAIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORAKIES.  193 

is  a  considerable  amount  of  Messianic  material.  The 
first  prediction  is  a  quotation  from  the  older  prophet 
that  we  have  already  considered  ^  with  the  concluding 
exhortation — 

"  0  house  of  Israel,  come  ye, 
And  let  us  walk  in  the  hght  of  Jahveh."         — Isa.  ii.  5. 

The  Messianic  idea  of  Isaiah  is  first  opened  up  in 
Chap.  IV. 

V.    PURIFICATION  OF  ZION. 

§  58.  Jahveh  will  come  to  refine  and  purify  His  people, 
so  that  the  remnant  will  become  holy  and  blessed.  The 
land  will  become  wonderfully  fruitful^  and  it  will  be 
frotected  by  the  abiding  presence  of  Jahveh. 

"In  that  day  the  sprout  of  Jahveh  will  become  splendid  and 

glorious. 
And  the  fruit  of  the  land  will  become  majestic  and  illustrious 

for  the  rescued  of  Israel. 
And  it  will  come  to  pass,  that,  as  for  the  residue  in  Zion,  and 

the  remainder  in  Jerusalem, 
They  will  be  called  holy,^— all  who  are  inscribed  unto  life  in 

Jerusalem. 
When  Adonay  shall  have  washed  away  the  filth  of  the  daughters 

of  Zion, 
And  the  blood  of  Jerusalem  shall  put  away  »  from  her  midst  by 

the  spirit  of  judgment,  and  by  the  spirit  of  burning. 
Jahveh  will  create'^  upon  all  the   established  places  of  Mount 

Zion,  and  upon  her  places  of  convocation, 
A  cloud  by  day,  and  smoke  and  brightness  of  flame  of  fire  by 

night : 


*  See  §  54. 

^  ^^  IDt^^  belongs  to  the  style  of  Hosea,  Isaiah,  and  the  great 
prophet  of  the  exile,  instead  of  the  usual  -^  K"ipV     See  xix.  18. 

^  nn  for  the  usual  m2,  used  only  here,  Jer.  U.  34,  Ezek.  xl.  38, 
and  2  Chron.  iv.  6. 

*  i^-ia,  a  strong  word,  seldom  used  in  pre-exilic  literature. 

N 


194  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECT. 

For  upon  all  the  glory  a  canopy  and  a  pavilion  ^  will  appear 
For  a  shade  by  day  from  heat,  and  for  a  ref age  and  shelter  2  from 
storm  and  from  rain."  — Isa.  iv.  2-6. 

This  prediction  is  of  great  importance.  It  really 
opens  up  two  new  phases  of  the  Messianic  idea.  It 
lays  stress  upon  the  discipline  of  the  people  of  God 
themselves,  and  also  upon  a  holy  remnant  to  be  redeemed 
from  the  fiery  trials  about  to  destroy  the  nation  as  a 
whole.  A  new  line  is  opened  for  the  doctrine  of  the 
advent  of  Jahveh.  There  is  a  judgment,  not  upon  the 
nations  as  in  Joel,^  but  upon  perverse  Israel  after  the 
manner  of  Hosea.'*  Israel  is  disciplined  and  then 
restored.  The  restoration  is  through  a  fiery  trial.  It  is 
for  the  washing  away  of  filth  in  order  to  purity,  beauty 
and  holiness.  The  blessings  of  the  advent  are  (1) 
wonderful  fruitfulness  of  the  holy  land,  usually  associ- 
ated with  the  divine  advent ;  ^  (2)  the  purity  and 
holiness  of  the  people  of  God,  a  favourite  conception 
of  Isaiah,  which  is  dwelt  upon  in  subsequent  prophecy ; 
(3)  Jahveh  dwelling  with  His  people  for  ever.  This 
conception  is  always  associated  with  the  advent  of 
Jahveh.  Here,  however,  the  symbolism  is  taken  from 
the  history   of  the  exodus.®     The   pillar   of    cloud  and 

^  n3D,  for  the  dwelling-place  of  God,  Ps.  xviii.  2. 
"Iino^,  a  late  word,  only  here  for  "in D.     We  would  expect  npv 

over  against  Dl'',  but  it  was  omitted  probably  in  order  to  doubling 
the  epithets. 

3  See  §  51.  ■»  See  §  53. 

*  There  has  been  some  dispute  as  to  the  meaning  of  "  Sprout  of 
Jahveh  ; "  some  refer  it  to  the  Messianic  shoot  of  Isa.  xi.  1,  Jer. 
xxiii.  5,  and  Zech,  iii.  8,  vi.  12  ;  but  the  shoot  in  these  cases  is  the 
shoot  of  David  and  from  the  stump  of  Jesse.  Here  the  shoot  is  the 
shoot  of  Jahveh.  The  parallelism  "fruit  of  the  land"  favours  the 
reference  of  "  Sprout  of  Jahveh  "  to  the  sprouting  forth  of  the  land 
under  the  reviving  influence  of  Jahveh,  as  is  usual  in  predictions 
of  the  divine  advent.  The  representation  would  then  be  essentially 
the  same  as  Joel  iii.  18  and  Hos.  ii.  22. 

«  Ex.  xiv.  19  seq. 


ISAIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORARIES.  195 

fire  ^  is  to  be   renewed.     A  divine  canopy  will  protect 
Israel  from  all  harm. 


VI.   IMMANUEL. 

§  59.  A  wonderful  child  vnll  he  horn  of  a  young 
woman,  and  he  named  Immanuel.  He  is  the  sign  and 
pledge  that  Jahveh  is  with  His  people,  and  that  He  will 
deliver  them.  Distress  will  continue  in  the  land  until  His 
maturity. 

The  invasion  of  Judah  by  the  allied  Syrians  and 
Israelites,  and  the  great  distress  resulting  therefrom,  were 
the  occasion  of  the  prediction  of  the  wonderful  child 
Immanuel.  Ahaz  the  king  of  Judah  is  challenged  by 
the  prophet  Isaiah  to  ask  a  sign  from  Jahveh,  with  the 
range  of  choice  from  Sheol  to  heaven.  When  he  declines 
to  ask,  a  sign  is  promised  by  Jahveh  Himself. 

"  Hear  now,  O  house  of  David  ;  Is  it  too  little  for  you  to  weary 
men,  that  you  should  weary  my  God  also?  Therefore  Jahveh  ^ 
Himself  will  give  you  a  sign  ;  Lo,  young  woman,^  thou  art  pregnant, 


1  See  §  51. 

2  t^in  is  emphatic  =  himself.  Some  MSS.,  followed  by  Lowth 
and  Cheyne,  read  nirT*  for  ""Jlx.    The  divine  name  seems  unnecessary. 

^  riD^yn  is  a  young,  marriageable  woman,  whether  virgin  or  not. 
rb\r\2.  is  the  usual  word  for  virgin  and  nS^X  for  wife,  but  T\t2hv  ^^J 
be  either.  The  article  is  taken  by  some  as  designed  to  point  out  the 
woman  as  a  distinct  and  conspicuous  one.  But  then  the  question 
arises,  What  woman  ?  Some  then  think  of  the  wife  of  the  prophet 
on  the  ground  that  his  children  were  appointed  to  be  signs  to  Israel 
(Isa.  viii.  18).  Ewald  takes  the  article  as  generic  ;  but  there  seems 
to  be  no  propriety  for  such  a  usage  here.  It  is  better  to  take  the 
article  as  the  sign  of  the  vocative,  O  thou  young  woman.  This  is 
favoured  by  the  HKIp,  which  is  pointed  as  2  fern.  And  it  is  thus 
rendered  by  LXX.  Aquilla  and  Symmachus.  nxip  is  taken  by 
Gesen.  §  74.  1  ;  Ewald,  §  194  ;  Delitzsch,  et  at,  as  a  secondary 
form  of  the  3  fem.  for  the  usual  nX"ip.  But  this  is  improbable.  If 
it  were  pointed  {^^'Ji^,  it  might  refer  to  Ahaz  as  subject;  but  that  is 


196  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

and  about  to  bear  a  son,  and  call  his  name  Immanuel.^  Curds  and 
honey  will  he  eat  at  ^  the  time  of  his  knowing  to  refuse  ^  evil  and 
choose  good.  For  before  the  boy  knows  to  refuse  evil  and  choose 
good,  the  land,  because  of  whose  two  kings  thou  art  anxious,  will  be 
abandoned."— Isa.  vii.  13-17. 

Under  the  solemn  circumstances  of  this  prediction  one 
would  expect  something  more  than  the  birth  of  a  child  in 
the  family  of  Ahaz  or  of  Isaiah,  or  in  some  unknown 
household.  The  significance  of  the  sign  is  in  the  child 
and  his  name,  and  not  in  the  mother.  The  Hebrew  word 
might  mean  a  virgin,  but  it  does  not  in  itself  convey  the 
idea  of  virginity.  If  the  prophet  wished  to  emphasize 
virginity,  he  would  doubtless  have  used  another  and  a 
more  definite  term.  The  child  bears  the  significant  name 
Lamanuel,  'El  is  with  us. 

The  child  is  a  sign  or  pledge  that  God  is  with  His 
people.  It  was  not  so  much  to  convince  Ahaz  that  the 
predicted  events  would  surely  follow  in  the  captivity  of 
Syria  and  Samaria  by  the  Assyrians,  with  the  desolation 
of  the  land  of  Judah  ;  but  rather  that,  in  the-  midst  of 
these  calamities,  God  would  abide  with  His  people.  The 
child  is  not  represented  as  the  incarnate  God,  but  as  the 
pledge  of   the  divine  deliverance.     The  deliverance  was 

unlikely.  The  Syriac  and  N.  T.  citation  translate  as  if  they 
read  j<-|p.  Prof.  Toy  prefers  the  participle  nX"ip  in  accordance 
with  m^\  This  is  better  if  the  subject  is  to  be  the  3  fern.  But 
we  should  then  have  three  participles  in  co-ordination. 

^  bx  13^rV  is  compounded  of  h^,  the  divine  name,  and  l^rDy  =  with 
us,  and  thus  the  child's  name  is  'El  is  ivith  us.  It  does  not  affirm  the 
divinity  of  the  child,  but  that  the  child  bears  this  name  as  the  sign 
or  pledge  of  the  divine  presence.  Indeed  "liT'pin  =  strength  of 
Jahveh,  is  a  similar  use  of  the  divine  name.  If  Hezekiah  were  not 
too  old,  he  might  be  regarded  as  in  the  mind  of  the  prophet  at  the 
time. 

^  in  VIP.  The  ^  denotes  the  point  of  time,  Ewald,  §  21 7(/,  2  ; 
Lowth,  Delitzsch,  Diestel,  Cheyne,  et  al.  It  can  hardly  express 
pnrjiose  here. 

^  DIX^  and  linn.  These  infinitives  absolute  are  used  for  the 
classic  infins.  construct,  a  usage  which  begins  with  Isaiah. 


ISAIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORARIES.  197 

not  to  be   wrought  at  the  birth   of  the   child,  for  the 
infancy  was  to  pass  in  hardship.     He  would  be  com- 
pelled to  live  upon  curds  and  honey,  the  products  of  a 
land  that  had  become  a  wilderness,  a  place  for  shepherds 
and  their  flocks.      The  affliction  of  the  land  was  to  con- 
tinue until  the  maturity  of  Immanuel.      This  pledge  was 
given  in  a  period  of  impending  distress.     It  remained  a 
predicted  pledge  until  the  birth  of  the  Messiah.     There  is 
no  reason  why  we  should  seek  a  fulfilment  of  the  sign  in 
the  time  of  Ahaz.      It   is   a   sign  which  was  expressly 
assigned    to  the   future.      It  matters  little  whether    the 
prophet  or  his  hearers  looked  for  a  speedy  fulfilment.     It 
was  not  for   them  to  measure  the   times  and  intervals  of 
the  divine  plan  of  redemption.      If  they  looked  for  the 
birth  of  such  a  son  in  the  time  of  Ahaz  or  Hezekiah,  they 
were  disappointed.     There  is  no  historical  evidence  of  any 
such  birth  or  of  any  such  child.     The  names  assigned  to 
the  children  of  the  prophet  are  plain  enough,  but  there  is 
no  connection  of  this  name  with  any  of  his  children.      If, 
however,  any  one  should  prefer  to  think  that  a  child  of 
the  prophet  or  the  royal  house  bore  this  name  as  a  sign, 
the  prediction  would  then  become  typical  and  cease  to 
be  direct  prediction,  but  the  Messianic  idea  would  not  be 
lost.     This   Immanuel    would    be    a   type   of   the  great 
Immanuel,  just  as  David  and  Moses  and  Solomon  and 
others  have  been  such  types  of  the  Messiah. 

The  passage  is  a  Messianic  passage,  and  the  prelude 
to  the  predictions  of  the  Messianic  king  which  follow  in 
Isaiah  and  in  Micah.  Isaiah  subsequently  gives  the 
child  to  be  born  many  sacred  names  ;  and  Micah  points 
to  the  mother  in  Bethlehem.^  The  affliction  from  the 
Syrians  was  followed  by  an  Assyrian  period  of  affliction. 
The  Assyrian  was  followed  by  the  Babylonian,  the 
Babylonian  by  the  Greek,  and  the  Greek  by  the  Eoman. 
1  Isa.  ix.  6,  xi.  1  seq.  ;  Micah  v.  3. 


198  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

These  world  -  powers  rose  successively  to  afflict  Israel. 
Isaiah  predicts  the  approach  of  the  Assyrian  affliction,  he 
sees  no  farther.  But  he  projects  into  the  future  the 
divine  pledge  in  the  child  Immanuel  as  a  comfort  to  the 
faithful  remnant  in  Judah.  This  pledge  remained  as  the 
abiding  prediction  of  comfort  through  all  the  subsequent 
periods  of  affliction  until  the  Messiah  was  born  of  the 
Virgin  Mary.-^ 

VII.  THE  PRINCE  OF  PEACE, 

§  60.  ^  great  light  was  to  shine  upon  the  north-eastern 
frontier  of  Israel,  exalting  the  people  as  highly  as  they  had 
been  previously  humiliated,  as  the  first  of  the  Israelites  to 
go  into  exile.  A  great  deliverance  will  he  wrought,  tran- 
scending that  of  Gideon  in  the  day  of  Midian.  A  child  of 
the  house  of  David  will  he  horn,  a7id  hear  the  names,  Wonder- 
ful  Counsellor,  Divine  Hero,  Distributor  of  Spoils,  and 
Prince  of  Peace.  He  will  reign  on  the  throne  of  David 
in  righteousness  for  ever.  All  military  equipments  will  he 
destroyed  in  order  to  universal  peace. 

The  invasion  of  Israel  and  the  carrying  away  into 
captivity  of  the  inhabitants  of  Galilee  and  Perea  by 
Tiglath  Pilezer  ^  was  the  historical  basis  of  the  prediction 
of  the  Prince  of  Peace.  A  thick  darkness  overshadows 
the  land,  and  the  people  are  plunged  into  despair ;  they 
are  the  first  of  the  Israelites  to  go  into  captivity,  and  to 
suffer  its  deep  humiliation.  They  are  accordingly  the 
first  to  be  exalted,  and  their  exaltation  will  be  as  high 
as  their  humiliation  was  deep. 

"  But  she  who  now  has  trouble  will  not  have  gloom. 
As  the  former  time  brought  into  contempt  the  land  of  Zebulon  and 
the  land  of  Naphtali ; 

1  Matt.  i.  21  25.  «  2  Kings  xv.  29. 


ISAIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORARIES.  199 

The  last  time  will  certainly  ^  bring  to  honour  the  way  of  the  sea, 

beyond  Jordan,  the  district  of  the  nations. 
The  people  that  walk  in  darkness  do  see  a  great  light : 
Those  dwelling  in  a  land  of  dense  darkness,  light  doth  shine  upon 

them. 
Thou  hast  increased  the  nation  whose  joy  thou  didst  not  ^  increase  ; 
They  rejoice  before  thee  as  the  joy  in  the  harvest, 
According  as  men  exult  when  they  divide  spoil. 
For  the  yoke  of  his  burden,  and  the  staff  of  his  shoulder, 
The  rod  of  the  one  oppressing  him,  thou  hast  broken  oflf  as  in  the 

day  of  Midian. 
For  as  regards  every  piece  of  armour  ^  of  the  one  arming  himself 

with  clatter,  and  garment  rolled  in  blood, 


^  There  is  a  contrast  between  an  earlier  affliction  and  a  later 
blessing,  in  the  first  line  of  the  strophe.  It  is  then  expanded  in 
the  two  following  lines.  It  is  then  still  further  expanded  in  the 
remainder  of  the  strophe.  The  movement  of  the  poetry  is  hexa- 
meter. 

2  The  E.Y.  follows  the  Qeri  t>y  but  the  A.V.  translates  the 
Kethihh  ^.  The  Babylonian  codex  agrees  with  the  Western  codices 
here.  The  Peshitto,  Targum,  and  Saadia  agree  with  the  Qeri  ;  but 
Symmachus  and  the  Vulgate  are  with  the  Kethihh.  The  LXX. 
renders,  to  'TrMiarou  rou  "hxov  6  KXT'/iyw/Si  h  £u(^povvvy}  aov.  The 
documentary  evidence  favours  the  Kethihh,  and  the  Versions  are 
divided.  Following  the  LXX.,  se^^eral  modern  critics  change  the 
text  to  T^r\,  Selwyn  and  Studer,  or  n^Jn,  as  Krochmal,  Eobertson 
Smith  and  Cheyne.  The  Qeri  is  easy ;  but  the  'h  would  be  in  an 
unnatural  position,  and  apparently  superfluous  to  the  sense  and  the 
rhythm.  If  we  render,  "Whose  joy  thou  didst  not  increase,"  as 
Hitzig,  Eeinke,  Hengst.  et  at.,  we  have  a  contrast  which  is  in  accord 
with  viii.  23.  Orelli  follows  the  Kethihh,  but  takes  nnDtJTl  as 
nominative  of  the  clause.  The  sp  is  the  more  difficult  reading,  and 
is  to  be  preferred  on  that  account.  The  three  great  principles  of 
textual  criticism  count  for  K'p. 

3  pj^D  is  only  found  here  in  Hebrew.  The  Versions  and  authori- 
ties greatly  differ.  The  LXX.  renders  aToAij,  and  thinks  of  a  word 
like  the  Syriac  zayno,  from  zayen,  to  arm.  This  is  followed  by 
Hitzig,  Reinke,  Knobel,  Diestel,  et  al.  It  has  the  oldest  authority 
in  its  favour,  and  is  in  accordance  with  the  context.  The  Peshitto 
read  it,  however,  pxti'  =  tumult ;  Saadia,  the  Vulgate  and  Targum 
render  in  various  ways,  showing  their  doubt  as  to  the  form.  Joseph 
Kimchi  suggested  the  meaning  shoe,  after  the  Aramic  po.     This 

has  been  followed  by  most  recent  interpreters.      We  prefer  to 
f oUow  the  LXX. 


200  MESSIANIC  PEOPllECY. 

It  will  be  for  burning,  the  fuel  of  fire. 

For  a  child  is  born  to  us,  a  son  is  given  to  us ;  and  the  rule  is  upon 
his  shoulder. 

And  his  name  is  called  Wonderful  Counsellor,  Divine  Hero,  Dis- 
tributor of  Spoils,^  Prince  of  Peace  ; 

For  the  increase  of  his  rule  and  for  peace  without  end  upon  the 
throne  of  David  and  over  his  kingdom, 

To  establish  it,  and  to  confirm  it  in  justice  and  righteousness  from 
henceforth  even  for  ever. 

The  zeal  of  Jahveh  Sabaoth  will  do  this."  — Isa.  viii.  23-ix.  6. 

The  prophet  sees  a  great  light  shining  on  the  north- 
eastern frontier  of  the  land  which  had  been  the  fiist  to 
suffer  the  humiliation  of  captivity.  This  indicates  a 
great  deliverance,  which  transcends  the  victory  gained  by 
Gideon  over  the  Midianites  in  the  plain  of  Jezreel.  The 
nation  will  reap  the  harvest  of  \dctory,  and  rejoice  in  the 
division  of  the  spoils.  The  victory  will  be  so  complete  that 
all  the  military  equipments  will  be  burned  up  in  order 
to  the  establishment  of  universal  peace.  The  factory 
has  been  gained   by   a   prince   of    the   house  of   David. 

^  1])  ""DX  is  usually  rendered  "  Everlasting  Father,"  either  think- 
ing of  the  fatherly  rule  of  the  Messiah  as  an  everlasting  one 
(Delitzsch,  Cheyne  and  Orelli),  or  as  attributing  a  divine  attribute 
to  the  Messiah,  as  the  Everlasting  One.  Dathe  and  Chambers  take 
3X  as  a  noun  of  relation  as  in  Arabic,  and  render,  possessor  of  the 
attribute  of  eternity.  But  the  Messianic  king  is  not  so  closely 
identified  with  Jahveh  in  the  development  of  the  idea.  It  is  best 
to  take  3i<  as  a  noun  of  relation,  and  with  Hitzig,  Knobel,  Diestel, 
Kayser,  Kuenen,  et  ah,  think  of  "ly  in  the  sense  of  booti/,  as  in 
Isa.  xxxiii.  23,  Gen.  xlix.  27,  Zeph.  iii.  8  ;  so  that  the  meaning  is, 
owner,  possessor,  or  distributor  of  booty.  This  is  most  suited  to  the 
context,  which  lays  great  stress  upon  the  rejoicing  in  the  spoils  of 
the  victory.  It  is  best  suited  to  the  order  of  the  Messianic  titles.  The 
climax  is  the  Prince  of  Peace,  as  parallel  with  the  destruction  of  the 
weapons  of  war.  This  is  preceded  naturally  by  Distributor  of  Booty, 
as  parallel  with  the  joy  in  the  division  of  the  spoils  above.  The  rise 
in  thought  is  then  clear — (1)  the  Wonderful  Counsellor — the  planning 
of  the  campaign  and  the  direction  of  the  battle ;  (2)  the  Divine  Hero, 
the  warrior  with  divine  majesty,  valour  and  irresistible  power,  in 
the  conflict  itself ;  (3)  the  Distributor  of  Booty  after  the  conflict ; 
and  (4)  the  Prince  of  Peace,  in  the  everlasting  reign  of  the  Messiah. 


ISAIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORARIES.  201 

Names  of  honour  are  heaped  upon  him  to  indicate  his 
glorious  part  in  the  conflict.  The  names  are  four — (1) 
He  is  a  Wonderful  Counsellor.  The  victory  is  due  to 
his  wise  plans  and  his  marvellous  skill  in  conducting  the 
battle.  His  wisdom  in  counsel  shines  like  a  great  light 
in  the  land  he  has  delivered.  (2)  He  is  a  Divine  Hero, 
a  heroic  'El.  He  has  proved  himself  a  hero,  a  valiant 
warrior  and  irresistible  conqueror.  He  has  displayed 
godlike  prowess.  He  has  carried  on  the  campaign  with 
godlike  majesty  and  glory.  He  has  surpassed  the  mar- 
vellous victory  of  Gideon.  (3)  He  is  a  Distributor  of 
Spoils,  His  victory  has  been  so  great,  that  the  spoils  are 
vast.  He  distributes  them  to  his  people,  and  they 
greatly  rejoice  in  the  rich  rewards  of  the  victory.  (4) 
He  is  above  all  a  Prince  of  Peace.  The  victory  has  been 
a  decisive  one ;  so  decisive,  that  all  the  armour  has  been 
consumed  with  fire.  There  is  no  further  need  of 
weapons.  He  is  to  reign  as  the  Prince  of  Peace,  and 
secure  everlasting  peace. 

This  representation  of  the  Prince  of  Peace  is  an 
enlargement  of  Zech.  ix.'^  The  destruction  of  the 
weapons  of  war  is  after  the  example  of  Hos.  ii.^  The 
everlasting  reign  on  the  throne  of  David  is  in  accordance 
with  the  royal  Messianic  Psalms.*  This  Prince  of  Peace 
is  no  other  than  Jesus  Christ.* 


VIII.  THE  FRUITFUL  SHOOT. 

§  61.  A  twig  comes  forth  from  the  stump  of  Jesse,  a 
shoot  from  his  roots  hears  fruit.  The  sevenfold  gifts  of  the 
divine  Spirit  rest  upon  him,  endowing  him  to  fidfil  his 

1  See  p.  184.  2  gee  p.  171. 

^  Ps.  ii.,  ex.,  and  especially  Ixxii.     See  pp.  132-140. 
*  The  evangelist  Matthew  sees   this  great  light  shining  in  the 
ministry  of  Jesus  in  Galilee,  Matt.  iv.  15,  16. 


202  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

work  of  judging  the  'poor  with  spiritual  discernment,  and 
the  wicked  vjith  the  rod  of  his  mouth.  Girded  with  right- 
eousness and  faithfulness,  He  estaUisJies  universal  peace  in 
the  earth,  in  which  the  animal  kingdom  shares.  The 
knowledge  of  Jalivch  becomes  universal.  The  shoot  becomes 
the  standard  about  ivhich  the  Tiat:  ns  rally.  The  strife  of 
Ephraim  and  Jiidah  will  come  to  an  end.  A  great 
deliverance  from  Egypt  and  Assyria  will  take  place,  and 
the  people  of  God  return  to  their  land  on  a  highway  of 
redemption. 

The  invasion  of  Judah  by  the  Assyrians  was  the 
occasion  of  the  prediction  of  the  wonderful  shoot.  The 
Assyrian  was  the  rod  of  Jahveh's  anger.  He  continued 
to  afflict  Judah  until  the  nation  became  a  mere  stump  in 
the  ground.  Then  Assyria,  having  served  the  divine 
purpose,  will  perish.  But  the  stump  will  put  forth  a 
shoot  that  will  be  fruitful  and  abide  for  ever. 

I.  "  And  a  twig  will  come  forth  from  the  stump  of  Jesse, 
And  a  shoot  from  his  roots  will  be  fruitful ; 
And  the  spirit  of  Jahveh  will  rest  upon  him, 
The  spirit  of  wisdom  and  understanding, 
The  spirit  of  counsel  and  might, 
The  spirit  of  knowledge  and  the  fear  of  Jahveh.^ 
And  not  according  to  the  sight  of  his  eyes  will  he  judge, 
And  not  according  to  the  hearing  of  his  ears  will  he  admonish ; 
But  he  will  judge  in  righteousness  the  weak, 
And  administer  equity  to  the  meek  of  the  land, 

^  The  Massoretic  text  gives  another  line  here.  But  it  is  doubtful. 
Bickell  suggests  that  it  has  arisen  by  repetition  from  the  previous 
line, — an  easy  error  of  a  scribe,  as  is  manifest  when  the  lines  are 
written  one  above  the  other — 

nin^  nj<-i'n  innni 

If  it  be  retained,  it  is  the  Hiph.  infin.  of  nil,  and  is  to  be  rendered, 
*'  his  scenting,"  or  "smelling,  will  be  of  the  fear  of  Jahveh."  ^  This  use 
of  the  form  is  unexampled,  and  Cheyne  is  probably  correct  in  follow- 
ing Bickell.  The  omission  of  this  line  makes  the  strophe  consist  of 
fourteen  lines,  a  very  common  strophe  for  trimeters. 


ISAIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORARIES.  203 

And  smite  the  terrible  ^  witli  the  sceptre  of  his  mouth, 
And  with  the  breath  of  his  lips  will  he  slay  the  wicked 
And  righteousness  will  be  the  girdle  of  his  loins, 
And  faithfulness  the  girdle  of  his  waist. 

II.  And  the  wolf  will  dwell  with  the  lamb, 
And  the  leopard  lie  down  with  the  kid, 
And  the  calf  and  young  lion  and  fatling  together, 
And  a  little  child  be  leader  over  them. 
And  the  cow  and  bear  will  graze  : 
Together  will  their  young  lie  down, 
And  a  lion  like  the  ox  will  eat  straw  ; 
And  a  suckling  will  play  over  the  hole  of  the  asp, 
And  over  the  light  hole  ^  of  the  great  viper  ^ 
The  weaned  child  will  have  stretched  out  his  hand.* 
And  they  will  not  harm  or  destroy 
In  all  my  holy  mountain. 

For  the  earth  will  have  been  filled  with  knowing  ^  Jahveh, 
As  the  waters  are  covering  the  sea. 

III.  And  in  that  day  the  root  of  Jesse  will  appear. 

Which  is  about  to  stand  as  a  banner  of  the  peoples. 

Unto  him  will  nations  resort ; 

And  the  place  of  his  resting  will  become  glorious. 

And  it  will  come  to  pass  in  that  day, 

Adonay  will  a  second  time  stretch  forth  his  hand. 

To  get  the  remnant  of  his  people, 

1  Krochmal,  Lagarde  and  Cheyne  rightly  regard  y'*']]}  as  the 
correct  reading  instead  of  p5<.  There  seems  to  be  no  proper  contrast 
between  the  earth  and  the  weak,  as  there  is  between  the  meek  and 
wicked.     p"ij;  would  be  the  most  suitable  word  over  against  the 

^  mii^D  is  a  noun  formed  by  D  from  "ilj?.  It  is  the  place  of  light, 
or  light  hole. 

^  ""JiySV  is,  according  to  Tristram,  the  great  viper. 

*  mn  is  only  found  here.  It  is  probably  equivalent  to  rnS  to 
put  out  the  hand.  The  perfect  tense  is  singular  in  this  connection. 
It  is  explained  by  Ewald,  Bottcher,  et  al.,  as  an  exam]:)le  of  the 
omission  of  1  consec.  of  perfect ;  by  Driver  as  a  prophetic  perfect. 
But  it  is  better  to  regard  it  as  a  future  perfect  in  order  to  bring  out 
the  fact  that  the  child  will  remain  alive  and  unharmed  after  doing 
this  daring  thing. 

*  njn,  fern,  of  yi ;  for  the  proper  infin.  r\V%  see  Hab.  ii.  14. 


204  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

Which  remain  from  Asshur, 

And  from  Egypt,  and  from  Pathros,  and  from  Ciish, 

And  from  Elam,  and  from  Shinar,  and  from  Hamath ;  ^ 

And  will  lift  up  a  banner  to  the  nations, 

And  collect  the  outcasts  of  Israel, 

And  the  dispersed  of  Israel  will  he  gather 

From  the  four  corners  of  the  earth. 

rV.  And  the  jealousy  of  Ephraim  will  depart, 

And  the  adversaries  of  Judah  will  be  cut  off; 

Ephraim  will  not  be  jealous  of  Judah, 

And  Judah  will  not  distress  Ephraim, 

And  they  will  fly  upon  the  shoulders  of  the  Philistines  seaward, 

Together  they  will  spoil  the  sons  of  the  East, 

Edom  and  Moab  will  become  a  prize  of  their  hand,^ 

And  the  sons  of  Ammon  will  become  their  subjects, 

And  Jahveh  will  put  under  a  ban  the  tongue  of  the  Egyptian 

sea. 
And  wave  his  hand  over  the  river  with  his  violent  blast,* 
And  smite  it  into  seven  channels, 
And  cause  them  to  go  over  dry  shod  ; 
And  a  highway  will  be  for  the  remnant  of  the  people  who  wiU 

be  left  from  Assyria, 
As  it  was  to  Israel  in  the  day  of  his  going  up  from  the  land  of 

Egypt." 

The  wonderful  shoot  springs  from  the  stump  of  Jesse 
and  becomes  exceedingly  fruitful ;  for  he  is  endowed  with 
all  the  graces  of  the  divine  Spirit.  These  graces  are 
arranged  in  three  pairs,  with  a  single  introductory  one : 
— (1)  Wisdom  and  understanding,  the  internal   compre- 

^  D"'n  ^"'{<D1  seems  to  be  a  later  addition.  As  Cheyne  says  :  "The 
fact  that  D"»"'i^  and  DM  ''''X  are  specially  characteristic  of  chaps, 
xl.-lxvi,  renders  it  a  little  doubtful  whether  Isaiah  himself  wrote 
the  latter  phrase  in  this  verse,  which  indeed  seems  complete  with- 
out it.  The  earliest  absolutely  certain  occurrences  of  □'•'X  are  in 
Jer.  ii.  10,  xxxi.  10.  Would  Isaiah  have  used  D\T  ""^J^  ^'is  a  technical 
phrase  in  but  one  passage  of  his  '  occasional  prophecies'  ?"  (ii.  p.  147). 

^  rh\^D  only  here  and  Esth.  ix.  19,  22.  The  d  of  the  object,  that 
upon  which  the  hand  is  put,  prize.  So  nyCiJ'D,  the  audience, 
1  Chron.  xi.  25,  hearers,  subjects. 

^  D''y  only  here.  It  is  a  mistake  for  Wi^J.  LXX.  has  iv  'Tn/iVfcctTf 
^tociM  :  so  Peshitto  and  Vulgate. 


ISAIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORAPJES.  205 

hensive  wisdom  and  the  external  practical  discernment  of 
things ;  (2)  counsel  and  might,  the  counsel  to  devise  the 
plan  and  direct  it,  with  the  external  might  to  carry  it 
into  execution ;  (3)  knowledge  and  the  fear  of  Jahveh, 
practical  personal  acquaintance  with  Jahveh,  and  the 
reverential  fear  of  Him  which  constitutes  true  religion. 
These  graces  of  the  divine  Spirit  enable  the  Messiah  to 
reign  in  righteousness  and  peace.  His  rule  is  especially 
to  right  the  wronged,  and  to  relieve  the  poor  and  the 
afflicted.  He  judges  not  according  to  the  eye  or  the  ear, 
but  according  to  the  piety  and  internal  character  of  his 
subjects. 

The  result  of  such  a  dominion  is  the  establishment  of 
universal  peace.  The  animal  kingdom  shares  in  this  peace. 
The  enmity  between  the  wild  and  the  domestic  animals 
disappears.  The  enmity  between  man  and  the  beasts  of 
prey  departs.  The  enmity  between  man  and  the  serpent 
no  longer  continues.  The  little  child  has  dominion  over 
the  animals,  and  the  babe  sports  with  the  serpent.  The 
curse  of  Eden  is  transformed  into  universal  blessing. 
The  knowledge  of  Jahveh  covers  the  earth  as  the  waters 
cover  the  sea,  so  that  there  is  not  only  universal  peace, 
but  universal  personal  acquaintance  with  God. 

The  second  section  of  the  prediction  relates  to  the 
establishment  of  peace  between  the  nations.  The  root  of 
Jesse  becomes  the  standard  and  rallying  point.  The 
strife  between  the  northern  and  southern  kingdoms 
departs.  The  nations  that  are  not  reconciled  are  reduced 
to  submission  or  destroyed.  Grand  highways  of  redemp- 
tion are  established,  and  the  exodus  from  Egypt  is  tran- 
scended by  an  exodus  from  all  lands  of  the  dispersion. 
The  holy  land  is  restored  to  its  destined  glory.  This 
prediction  is  in  all  respects  an  expansion  of  the  ideas  of 
Zech.  x.^ 

i  See  §  56. 


206  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 


IX.    UNION  OF  EGYPT  AND  ASSYRIA  WITH  ISRAEL. 

§  62.  Egypt  and  Assyria  will  he  united  with  Israel  as 
tJie  people  of  God,  speaking  the  holy  language  and  serving 
Jahveh  with  altar  and  sacrifice.  Ethiopia  and  Tyre  will 
consecrate  offerings  to  Jahveh. 

The  second  section  of  Isaiah  is  a  group  of  prophecies 
against  the  nations.  These  were  delivered  at  different 
times  and  under  various  circumstances.  There  is  one 
striking  Messianic  prediction  in  this  collection,  and  two 
less  important  predictions.  Ethiopia  is  to  send  a  present 
unto  Jahveh  ^  to  Mount  Zion.  And  the  merchandise  of 
Tyre  will  be  consecrated  unto  Jahveh.^  But  the  most 
significant  prediction  is  with  regard  to  the  two  rival 
world  -  powers,  Egypt  and  Assyria,  who  have  been  the 
chief  enemies  of  Israel  in  her  history. 

*'  In  that  day  Egypt  will  become  like  women,  and  tremble,  and 
fear  because  of  the  lifting  up  of  the  hand  of  Jahveh  Sabaoth,  which 
he  is  about  to  lift  up  against  them.  And  the  land  of  Judah  will 
become  a  consternation  to  Egypt  :  ^  every  time  when  one  mentions 
it  unto  him,  they  will  fear  because  of  the  purpose  of  Jahveh  Sabaoth 
which  he  purposeth  against  them. 

In  that  day  there  will  be  five  cities  in  the  land  of  Egypt  speaking 
the  tongue  of  Canaan,  and  swearing  allegiance  to  Jahveh  Sabaoth  : 
one  of  them  will  be  named  the  city  of  protection.* 


^  Isa.  xviii.  7.  2  jg^  xxiii.  18. 

*  Wn  or  n:in  is  only  found  here.  It  is  kindred  with  Jin  =  to 
dance  in  a  circle,  and  so  in  Ps,  cvii.  27,  to  reel  from  drunkenness. 
Here  it  is  probably  the  reeling  in  terror  as  synonymous  with  Tin 
and  ins. 

*  ^')J}^  '^^'^  as  pointed  by  the  Massoretes  means  city  of  destruction. 
So  Peshitto,  Aquilla,  Theodotion,  Cheyne,  Orelli.  The  temples  and 
images  of  false  gods  are  to  be  torn  down  and  destroyed.  However, 
the  Vulgate,  Symmachus,  Saadia,  Talmud,  Rashi,  Vitringa,  Hitzig, 
Nagelsbach  read  D"in  =  sun,  and  render,  city  of  the  sun  =  Helio- 
polis.  The  LXX.  read  piv  =  righteousness,  and  is  followed  by 
Geiger.  Gesen.,  Eosenm.,  Knobel,  Ewald  read  D"|n  _  well  protected, 
happy,  after  the  Arabic  stem.     This  best  suits  the  context. 


ISAIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORARIES.  207 

In  that  day  there  will  be  an  altar  for  Jahveh  in  the  midst  of  the 
land  of  Egypt,  and  a  pillar  ^  at  the  side  of  its  boundary  for  Jahveh  ; 
and  it  will  become  a  sign  and  witness  for  Jahveh  Sabaoth  in  the  land 
of  Egypt :  when  they  cry  unto  Jahveh,  because  of  oppressors,  that 
he  will  send  ^  to  them  saviours,  and  strive  and  deliver  them.  And 
Jahveh  will  be  known  to  the  Egyptians,  and  the  Egyptians  will 
know  Jahveh. 

In  that  day  it  will  come  to  pass  that  they  will  serve  with  peace- 
offering  and  vegetable-offering,  and  vow  vows  unto  Jahveh  and 
pay  them  ;  and  Jahveh  will  smite  Egypt,  continually  smiting  and 
healing  ;  and  they  will  return  unto  Jahveh,  and  he  will  be  entreated 
of  them,  and  will  heal  them. 

In  that  day  there  will  be  a  highway  from  Egypt  to  Assyria,  and 
Assyria  will  come  into  Egypt,  and  Egypt  into  Assyria,  and  Egyptians 
will  serve  with  Assyrians.^ 

In  that  day  Israel  will  become  a  third  to  Egypt  and  Assyria,  a 
blessing  in  the  midst  of  the  earth,  with  which  *  Jahveh  Sabaoth  will 
have  blessed  him,  saying.  Blessed  be  my  people,  Egypt,  and  the  work 
of  my  hands,  Assyria,  and  my  inheritance  Israel." — Isa.  xix.  16-25. 

Egypt  was  the  ancient  enemy  of  Israel  from  the 
times  of  the  exodus.  Assyria  was  the  great  world-power 
whose  supremacy  was  at  this  time  most  to  be  dreaded. 
The  little  kingdom  of  Judah  was  distracted  by  parties 
which  represented  the  interests  of  these  two  great  rivals. 
Judah  was  on  the  verge  of  ruin.  But  the  kingdom  of 
Judah  was  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  Jahveh  gives  the 
victory.  The  prophet  predicts  the  overthrow  of  Egypt 
and  its  subsequent  redemption.  He  rises  far  above  the 
strife  of  party  and  the  war  of  nations,  and  points  to  that 

1  The  nnVD  to  Jahveh  at  the  boundary  is  a  memorial  pillar  or 
pyramid. 

2  rh\^^)  expresses  the  purpose  of  the  sign.  The  E.V.  disregards 
the  weak  1,  and  renders  as  if  it  were  )  consec.  of  the  perfect. 

3  The  easiest  rendering  of  niti^S  Hi^  is  as  the  definite  accusative, 
after  the  LXX.,  Targ.,  Peshitto,  and  Vulgate.  But  this  is  so  against 
the  context  that  interpreters  generally  regard  nfc<  as  the  preposition 
of  association  with, 

*  nt^N  can  hardly  be,  forasmuch  as,  as  Cheyne  supposes,  or,  so  that 
(Orelli).  It  goes  back  upon  nD")3  of  the  previous  line,  as  Ewald 
interprets  it. 


208  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

golden  age  in  which  all  strife  and  war  will  cease ;  when 
Egypt  and  Assyria  and  Israel  will  all  be  one  people, 
sharing  the  sacred  names  that  are  the  peculiar  inheritance 
of  Israel.  They  will  worship  Jahveh  the  God  of  Israel, 
and  they  will  all  alike  speak  the  sacred  language  of 
Canaan.  "Xever  had  the  faith  of  prophet  soared  so 
high,  or  approached  so  near  to  the  conception  of  a 
universal  religion,  set  free  from  every  trammel  of  national 
individuality."  ^  Such  an  era  never  dawned  for  Assyria 
or  for  Egypt.  But  these  ancient  nations  were  to  the 
prophet  the  enemies  of  the  kingdom  of  God  who  were 
first  to  be  overthrown  and  then  reconciled.  They 
represent  the  nations  of  the  world  which  were  eventually 
to  be  incorporated  in  the  kingdom  of  God.  The  predic- 
tion can  never  be  realized  for  these  nations,  because  they 
have  ceased  to  exist ;  but  it  will  yet  be  realized  in  that 
great  peace  of  the  world  which  is  the  hope  of  all  the 
nations  of  mankind. 


X.    THE  CORNER-STONE  OF  ZIOK 

§  63.  A  corner-stone  is  laid  in  Zion  that  is  worthy  of 
all  confidence.  It  will  abide  firm  in  the  overwhelming 
storm. 

The  third  section  of  the  prophecies  of  Isaiah  opens  and 
closes  with  Messianic  features.  The  Assyrian  invasion 
brings  upon  Judah  the  severest  affliction.  It  is  like  an 
overwhelming  flood  that  sweeps  away  everything  in  its 
pathway.  Tliose  who  trust  in  alliances  to  save  them 
will  be  sorely  disappointed.  There  is  only  one  place  of 
refuge,  and  that  is  in  the  city  of  God.  Its  corner-stone 
will  be  made  firm  and  sure  amidst  all  the  troubles.  It 
will  prove  the  only  safe  reliance. 

1  W.  K.  Smith,  Prophets  of  Israel,  p.  336. 


ISAIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPOEARIES.  209 

**  Therefore  hear  the  word  of  Jahveh,  ye  men  of  scorning, 
Ye  rulers  of  this  people  which  is  in  Jerusalem  ; 
Since  ye  say,  We  have  concluded  a  covenant  with  death, 
And  with  Sheol  have  made  an  agreeujent/ 
The  overflowing  scourge  when  it  passeth  along  ^  will  not  come 

to  us  ; 
For  we  have  set  lies  our  refuge,  and  in  falsehood  have  hidden 

ourselves. 
Therefore  thus  saith  Adonay  Jahveh, 

Lo,  1  am  about  to  lay  ^  a  foundation  stone  in  Zion,  a  test  stone  ;  * 
A  precious  corner  foundation  ^  is  about  to  be  laid,  he  who  believeth 

will  not  be  ashamed.® 
And  I  will  set  justice  for  a  line,  and  righteousness  for  a  plummet ; 
And  hail  will  sweep  away  the  refuge  of  lies. 
And  the  secret  place  of  falsehood  ^  waters  will  wash  away, 
And  your  covenant  with  death  will  be  annulled,^ 
And  your  agreement  with  Sheol  will  not  stand. 
The  overflowing  scourge  when  it  passeth  along, — ye  will  be  trodden 

down  by  it." 

— Isa.  xxviii.  14-18. 


The  conception  of   the  firm    abiding  corner-stone  of 
Zion  recurs  in  the  later  psalm. 


1  HTn  is  usually  taken  as  equivalent  to  nitn  of  ver.  18,  and  in  the 
sense  suggested  by  the  parallelism,  that  is,  agreement. 

2  The  Qeri  -j^y  is  correct. 

*  1'B\  implies  a  relative  clause  =1  am  he  who  hath  ;  but  the  LXX. 
and  Vulgate  versions  read,  I  will  found.  Hence  it  is  better,  with 
Stade,  Cheyne,  et  al.^  to  point  "^D\ 

*  |n^  is  i^st  stone,  and  not  tested  stone. 

*  IDID  nip"*  n^D  are  combined  by  the  construct  states  into  one  idea. 
*1D1D  is  Hoph.  part,  parallel  with  'lp\ 

6  M^ssoretic  text  reads  tnn%  haste  away;  but  the  LXX.,  Peshitto 
and  Targum  ^y,  which  is  better.  Cheyne's  suggestion,  ^'<ty  —  give 
way,  we  cannot  follow. 

'  It  is  necessary  on  account  of  the  contrast  with  line  6  to  supply 
"Ipt^,  as  Cheyne  suggests. 

*  1231  is  unique  here  in  the  sense  usually  given  to  it,  and  JV)2  is 
fem.  It  is  better,  with  the  Targum,  Hupf .,  Wellh.,  Cheyne,  et  al.y  to 
read  "^2^  (see  Jer.  xxxiii.  21). 

O 


210  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

"  The  stone  the  builders  refused 
Has  become  the  head  of  the  comer  ; 
It  is  from  Jahveh  this  has  happened, 
It  is  wonderful  in  our  eyes."  ^       — Ps.  cxviii.  22,  23. 

XI.    ZION  THE  CITY  OF  THE  GREAT  KING. 

§  64.  Zion  will  become  the  quiet  abode  of  Jaliveh  the 
glorious  judge,  warrior,  and  king,  a  place  of  streams  where 
hostile  fleets  ap'pear  only  to  he  shattered  and  to  become  the 
spoil  of  the  people  of  God. 

The  Assyrian  troubles  deepen  the  confidence  of  the 
prophet  and  his  disciples  in  Jahveh  the  great  king  of 
Zion.  This  confidence  reaches  its  climax  in  Isa.  xxxiii. 
The  prophet  sees  that  the  storm  has  rolled  away,  the 
invasion  has  ceased,  Zion  is  safe,  Jaliveh  reigns  supreme 
over  all. 

L  "  Hear,  ye  that  are  far  off,  what  I  have  done  j  j 

And  know,  ye  that  are  near,  my  might. 
Sinners  in  Zion  do  fear  ; 
Trembling  doth  seize  the  profane. 
Who  of  us  can  abide  with  devouring  fire  ? 
Who  of  us  can  abide  with  everlasting  burnings  ? 
One  walking  in  perfect  righteousness,^  and  speaking  uprightly, 
Befusing  the  spoil  of  oppressors. 
Shaking  his  palms  from  holding  a  bribe. 
Shutting  his  ears  from  hearing  of  bloodshed, 
And  closing  his  eyes  from  seeing  evil; 
He  will  dwell  in  the  heights ; 
The  strong  places  of  rocks  will  be  his  high  place  : 
His  bread  will  be  given ;  his  water  will  be  secured. 

IL  A  king  in  his  beauty  thine  eyes  will  behold  : 

Will  see  a  land  of  remote  places.  ; 

Thine  heart  will  muse  on  terror  ; 

^  These  two  passages  are  frequently  cited  in  the  New  Testament 
(IVIatt.  xxi.  42;  Mark  xii.  10  ;  Luke  xx.  17  ;  Acts  iv.  11  ;  Rom. 
ix.  33,  X.  11  ;  1  Pet.  ii.  6,  7),  and  referred  to  the  Messiah  Himself. 

*  mplV  is  an  emphatic  plural. 


ISAIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORARIES.  211 

Where  is  the  scribe,  where  is  the  weigher  ? 

Where  is  the  counter  of  the  towers  ? 

The  people  made  strong  thou  wilt  not  see, 

The  people  of  lip  too  deep  to  be  heard, 

Of  stammering  tongue  which  cannot  be  understood. 

Behold  Zion,  the  city  of  our  solemnities  : 

Thine  eyes  will  see  Jerusalem  a  habitation, 

A  quiet  tent  that  cannot  be  packed  up,^ 

Whose  stakes  will  not  be  removed  for  ever, 

And  none  of  its  cords  will  be  torn  away, 

Verily  ^  Jahveh  is  there  ^  in  majesty. 

m.  We  have  a  place  of  rivers. 

Channels  extended  on  both  sides  ; 

Ships  of  scourging  *  will  not  sail  therein. 

And  the  majestic  ship  will  not  sail  over  it. 

For  Jahveh  is  our  judge, 

Jahveh  is  our  lawgiver, 

Jahveh  is  our  king, 

He  will  save  us. 

Thy  ropes  have  broken  in  pieces ;  they  cannot  repair  them, 

The  base  of  the  mast  * — they  do  not  spread  the  flag. 

Then  the  booty  of  prey  was  divided  in  abundance, 

The  lame  have  preyed  upon  prey. 

The  inhabitant  will  not  say,  I  am  sick, 

The  people  who  dwell  therein  are  forgiven  their  iniquity." 

— Isa.  xxxiii.  13-24. 

*  |yv  is  used  only  here.     It  means  to  pack  up  for  a  journey. 

^  DX  ""D  is  not  but,  as  Cheyne,  et  al.  It  is  strong  asseveration, 
as  Prov.  xxiii.  18.     (See  Delitzsch  on  this  passage.) 

*  DK^  of  the  Massoretic  text  is  suited  to  the  previous  context ;  but 

DK^  of  LXX.  and  Peshitto  is  more  suited  to  the  following  context, 
and  is  followed  by  Lowth.     We  adhere  to  the  Massoretic  text,  but 
attach  1J^  to  the  following  line,  which  begins  the  next  strophe. 
■*  lo'itJ^  has  the  same  meaning  here  as  in  xxviii.  15. 

*  We  cannot  agree  with  Delitzsch,  Cheyne,  et  al.,  that  the  ship  is 
here  Zion,  over  against  the  ships  of  the  Assyrian,  for  the  represen- 
tation is  rather  of  a  shipwreck  than  of  a  victorious  ship.  It  would 
not  accord  with  the  previous  representation  of  the  glory  and 
security  of  Zion  under  the  dominion  of  Jahveh.  The  feminine  suffix 
is  entirely  appropriate  as  a  lively  direct  address  to  Assyria.  And 
then  the  appropriation  of  the  spoil  is  entirely  suited  to  the  wrecking 
of  the  attacking  ships. 


212  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

This  passage  is  an  enlargement  and  development  of 
the  prediction  of  Isa.  iv.^  The  passage  begins  with  a 
description  of  the  true  citizen  of  Zion.^  Such  an  one 
will  see  the  king  clothed  in  his  beauty,  and  will  enjoy 
the  happy  land  of  the  promise.  All  unrighteousness  of 
speech  and  behaviour  will  be  banished  from  the  land. 
Zion  will  be  a  quiet  abode,  a  tent  whose  cords  and 
stakes  will  be  immoveable ;  a  place  of  streams  and  broad 
channels,  like  the  great  cities  of  the  Nile  and  the 
Euphrates.  But  no  hostile  ships  will  appear  therein. 
They  will  be  broken  up  and  become  the  prey  of  the 
inhabitants  of  Zion.  Its  streams  are  streams  of  peace 
and  salvation.  Jahveh,  the  glorious  king,  warrior,  and 
judge,  reigns  in  Zion,  supreme  over  all.^  "  The  record  of 
the  prophet's  work  closes  with  the  triumphant  strains  of 
the  thirty-third  chapter,  written  perhaps  before  the  cata- 
strophe of  Sennacherib,  but  after  the  result  was  already 
a  prophetic  certainty,  because  Judah  had  at  length  bent 
its  heart  to  obedience  to  Jehovah's  word.  In  this  most 
beautiful  of  aU  Isaiah's  discourses  the  long  conflict  of 
Israel's  sin  with  Jehovah's  righteousness  is  left  behind ; 
peace,  forgiveness,  and  holy  joy  breathe  in  every  verse, 
and  the  dark  colours  of  present  and  past  distress  serve 
only  as  a  foil  to  the  assured  felicity  that  is  ready  to  dawn 
on  Jehovah's  land."  *  This  splendid  ideal  seems  to  the 
prophet  impending  after  the  destruction  of  the  Assyrian 
invaders  ;  but  it  is  an  ideal  that  stiLL  awaits  realization  in 
Him  who  is  at  once  the  Son  of  David  and  the  Son  of  God, 
in  that  glorious  time  when  His  reign  of  peace  and  righteous- 
ness shall  have  attained  its  fruition  at  the  end  of  the  age. 


1  See  p.  193. 

'  This  is  a  variation  of  Pss.  xv.  and  xxiv.  3-6. 
3  The  stream  of  Zion  is  another  form  of  the  river  of  God  of 
Joel  iii.  18.     See  p.  158. 

*  W.  R.  Smith,  Prophets  of  Israel,  p.  354. 


ISAIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORARIES.  213 

There  are  two  psalms  of  the  Korahite  Psalter  which 
describe  the  glories  of  Zion  as  the  city  of  the  great 
king.  These  descriptions  are  ideal  and  not  real.  Like 
Isa.  xxxiii.,  they  give  a  picture  of  what  Zion  is  to  be 
after  the  destruction  of  the  Assyrian  invader.  We  place 
them  in  this  period  because  they  reflect  its  historical 
situation.  They  have  many  features  of  resemblance 
with  Isaiah.^ 

§  65.  Zion,  the  city  of  the  great  king  Jahveh,  is  the 
safe  abode  of  the  people  of  God.  Its  beauty  and  glory 
reflect  the  majesty  of  God.  Jahveh  quiets  the  commotions 
of  the  nations,  rebukes  the  rebellious,  and  reigns  over  the 
earth.  Tlie  weapons  of  war  are  destroyed  in  order  to  the 
establishment  of  universal  peace. 


*  "In  this  psalm  there  occur,  moreover,  very  remarkable  coinci- 
dences, both  of  thought  and  expression,  with  those  prophecies  of 
Isaiah  which  were  uttered  in  prospect  of  the  Assyrian  invasion. 
The  prophet  had  compared  the  Assyrian  army  about  to  come  to  a 
mighty  river,  the  Nile  or  the  Euphrates,  overflowing  its  banks, 
carrying  desolation  far  and  wide,  rising  till  it  had  submerged  all 
but  the  most  prominent  objects.  The  Psalmist  employs  a  like 
image  when  he  compares  the  enemies  of  his  country  to  an  angry  sea, 
its  waves  roaring,  and  the  mountains  trembling  at  the  swelling 
thereof.  Isaiah  had  described  the  peace  and  safety  of  Jerusalem, 
weak  and  defenceless  as  she  seemed  to  all  eyes  but  the  eye  of  Faith, 
under  the  emblem  of  her  own  gently-flowing  stream  of  Siloam 
(viii.  6).  The  poet  also  sings  the  praises  of  that  stream,  whose 
channels  make  glad  the  city  of  God.  Thus  each  has  recourse  to 
similar  metaphors,  and  each  heightens  their  effect  by  contrast. 
Again,  the  prophet  had  assured  the  house  of  David  that  it  had  a 
better  defence  than  that  of  chariots  and  horses ;  had  laughed  to 
scorn  the  power  of  the  enemy,  saying,  '  Associate  yourselves,  and 
ye  shall  be  broken  in  pieces  .  .  .  take  counsel  together,  and  ye 
shall  come  to  nought  .  .  .  for  God  is  with  us '  (Immanu  ^El)  ;  and 
had  symbolized  the  promised  deliverance  by  the  birth  of  the  Child, 
Immanuel.  The  ever-recurring  thought  of  the  psalm  is,  '  God  is 
our  refuge  and  defence  ; '  '  God  is  in  the  midst '  of  the  Holy  City ; 
Jehovah  (God)  of  Hosts  is  with  us  {Immanu).  The  burden  alike  of 
prophecy  and  psalm  is  Immanuel^  God  with  W5." — Perowne,  Book  of 
Psalms^  p.  394  seq.,  6th  ed.  1886. 


214  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

I.  "  God  is  ours,^  a  refuge  and  strength, 

A  help  in  troubles  ready  to  be  found  ; 

Therefore  we  shall  not  fear  though  the  earth  change, 

And  though  mountains  be  moved  into  the  heart  of  the  seas  ; 

Its  waters  roar,^ — be  troubled,^ 

Mountains  shake  with  the  swelling  thereof. 

Jahveh  Sahaoth  is  with  us ;  * 

The  God  of  Jacob  is  our  refuge, 

II.  A  river  '^  (there  is)  whose  streams  make  glad  the  city  of  God, 
The  holy  place  of  the  tabernacles  of  'Ely on. 

God  is  in  her  midst ;  she  cannot  be  moved  : 
God  will  help  her  at  the  turn  ^  of  the  mom. 
Nations  raged — kingdoms  were  moved  ; 
Has  he  uttered  his  voice,  the  earth  melteth, 

Jahveh  Sahaoth  is  with  us  ; 

The  God  of  Jacob  is  our  refuge, 

m.  Come,  behold  the  doings  ''  of  Jahveh, 

What  wonders  ^  he  hath  done  in  the  earth. 
He  is  causing  wars  to  cease  unto  the  ends  of  earth ; 
The  bow  he  breaketh,  and  cutteth  the  spear  in  sunder.' 
*  Be  still,  and  know  that  I  am  God  : 

1  1^^  =  ours,  belonging  to  us.  It  is  stronger  than  our  God,  or  our 
refuge. 

^  "ICn"'  is  concessive,  carrying  on  the  construct  infinitive. 

^  icn  =  boil,  ferment,  swell,  heave,  only  found  here  in  this  sense. 
It  is  used  of  wine  in  Ps.  Ixxv.  9  ;  and  in  the  Poalal,  Lam.  i.  20, 
ii.  11  ;  and  Job  xvi.  16. 

*  The  refrain  at  the  close  of  this  strophe  has  been  omitted,  and  it 
should  be  restored,  as  occasionally  elsewhere  in  Hebrew  poetry. 

^  nni  is  emphatic  in  position,  in  strong  contrast  to  the  swelling, 
raging  sea. 

^  nijcb  =  at  the  turning  of  the  morning,  towards  morning  after 
the  night  of  trouble.     Comp.  Pss.  xxx.  5,  xc.  14. 

^  m^ySD  for  the  older  ^yQ. 

®  niCC^  is  taken  from  J  erome,  Calvin,  A. V.  et  al.  as  desolations ; 
by  LXX.  Peshitto,  Hupfeld,  Ewald,  Perowne,  et  al.  as  wonders  or 
terrible  things. 

^  The  destruction  of  the  instruments  of  war  is,  as  in  Hos.  ii.  20 ; 
Isa.  ix.  4.  We  regard  the  clause  ^^2  Pjlt^''  Hl^jy  as  a  later 
marginal  addition  that  has  crept  into  the  text.  It  is  trimeter  in  the 
midst  of  tetrameters,  and  makes  the  strophe  one  line  too  long. 


ISAIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORARIES.  215 

I  shall  be  exalted  among  the  nations, 
I  shall  be  exalted  in  the  earth.' 

Jahveh  Sahaoth  is  with  us  ; 

The  God  of  Jacob  is  our  refuge.**  — Ps.  xlvi. 

Ps.  xlviii.   describes  the  glories  of    Zion  as  the  city 
of  the  great  King.  j 

I.  "  Great  is  Jahveh,  and  highly  to  be  praised, 
In  the  city  of  our  God,  his  holy  mount. 
Beautiful  in  elevation,  the  joy  of  the  whole  earth  is  Mount 

Zion, 
On  the  northern  side,^  the  city  of  the  great  king. 
God  in  her  palaces  is  known  for  a  refuge. 
For,  lo,  the  kings  assembled,^  they  passed  by  together  ; 
They  saw,  so  they  were  amazed  ;  they  were  dismayed,  they 

hasted  away. 
Trembling  seized  them,  writhing  as  a  woman  in  travail. 
With  the  east  wind  thou  breakest  the  ships  of  Tarshish.' 
As  we  have  heard^  so  have  we  seen 
In  the  city  of  Jahveh  Sahaoth^  in  the  city  of  our  God : 
God  establisheth  her  for  ever* 

n.  "We  have  pondered  thy  mercy,  O  God,  in  the  midst  of  thy 
temple. 

As  is  thy  name,  O  God,  so  is  thy  praise, 

Unto  the  ends  of  the  earth  thy  right  hand  is  full  of  righteous- 
ness. 

Let  Mount  Zion  rejoice,  the  daughters  of  Judah  exult, 

Because  of  thy  judgments,  Jahveh.* 

^  The  northern  side  of  Zion  was  pre-eminently  the  city  or  fortress 
of  the  king. 

^  The  assembled  nations  before  Jerusalem  remind  us  of  the 
Assyrian  army  as  described  by  Isa.  x.  28-34  and  Micah  v.  1-6. 

^  The  reference  to  the  ships  of  Tarshish  is  in  accordance  with 
Isa.  xxxiii.  21. 

■*  These  three  lines  seem  to  us  to  be  a  refrain.  It  is  possible  that 
the  single  line  of  refrain  at  the  close  of  the  second  strophe  should  be 
lengthened  by  the  insertion  of  the  first  and  second  lines  of  this 
refrain.     The  second  strophe  is  just  two  hues  short  of  the  first. 

*  The  LXX.  version  reads  mrT*  here.  It  is  necessary  to  insert  it 
for  the  sake  of  the  rhythm. 


216  MESSIANIC  PROPHEUT.  ' 

Go  about  Zion,  and  encircle  her,  count  her  towers  ; 
Set  thy  mind  upon  her  bulwarks,  consider  her  palaces  ;  ' 

That  ye  may  tell  it  to  the  generation  following  j 

That  God  our  God  is  thus  :  ^  | 

For  ever  and  ever  he  guideth  i«."  *  — Ps.  xlviii.   j 

! 

MiCAH. 

Micah   and    Isaiah  were  contemporaries.       They  are  i 
closely  related  in  their  range  of  ideas  and  the  historical  j 
situation  that  underlies  them.     The  relation  is  close  and  | 
thoroughgoing,    extending    through  the    entire   book    of 
Micah   and   the   genuine   predictions   of   Isaiah.       They 
were  either  in  the  relation  of  master  and   pupil  or  of  j 
bosom    friendship.       The    latter    is     probably    the    true  : 
relation,  although  Isaiah  represented  the  higher  classes  of  \ 
the    capital    and   Micah  the   rural   population.^       They 
co-operated  in  their  work  of  strengthening  the  faithful  in  ! 
Judah  in  the  midst  of  the  storms  of   disaster  that  came  | 
upon    the     nation.       Jeremiah    represents    that    Micah  \ 
delivered  his  prophecy  in  the  reign  of  Hezekiah,  and  that  l 
he    produced  a    profound    impression.'*     This    seems  to 
favour  the  opinion  that  Micah's  prophetic  activity  began  ' 
a  little  later  than  Hezekiah's,  for  his  book  of  prophecy  ; 
in  its  present  form  is  an  organic  whole.^     The  Messianic  , 

1  nt  is  emphatic,  and  means  thus  and  so — this^  e.g.  all  that  the  i 
psalm  has  described  Jahveh  to  be. 

*  niO  7y  is  a  liturgical  term,  a  shortened  form  of  pS  TWO  hv  of  i 
Ps.  ix.  1.    It  does  not  belong  to  the  text.    It  is  rendered  by  the  LXX.   ; 
as  if  it  were  niDj^y,  and  so  parallel  with  th^V  IV  of  the  last  line  of 
the  refrain  of  the  first  strophe.      But  we  have  already  had  oijiy 

n:n.  i 

^  See  W.  E.  Smith,  Prophets  of  Israel,  p.  288  seq. 

*  Jer.  xxvi,  18  refers  to  the  passage  Micah  iii.  12,  which  is  one 
of  the  most  striking  predictions  in  the  book. 

^  It  is  possible  that  the  present  book  was  a  reissue  of  earlier  ; 
prophecies  by  the  prophet  himself  ;  that  he  worked  them  over  and  i 
organized  them  in  their  present  form.  ; 

I 


ISAIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPOEAEIES.  217 

prediction  of  Micah  rises  in  three  stages  in  chaps,  iv.— v. 
He  first  cites  the  production  of  an  older  prophet,  that  the 
mountain  of  the  house  will  be  established  on  the  top  of 
the  mountains.^  This  was  in  order  to  relieve  his  own 
prediction,  that  Jerusalem  would  become  a  heap  of  ruins, 
and  the  mountain  of  the  house  a  forest.^  The  second 
stage  of  the  prophecy  resembles  the  prediction  of  Amos.^ 
The  tower  of  David  has  lost  its  ancient  dominion,  but  it 
will  recover  it  again.  The  daughter  of  Zion  is  to  pass 
through  the  pangs  of  childbirth,  and  to  be  treated  shame- 
fully by  the  great  ones  of  the  earth.  But  the  mind  of 
Jahveh  is  that  the  nations  are  to  be  gathered  as  sheaves 
of  the  threshing-floor  to  be  threshed  out  by  the  bullock 
Zion,  whose  horns  are  of  iron  and  whose  hoofs  are  brass. 
There  is  a  mingling  of  symbols,  the  shepherd's  tower,  the 
daughter  of  Zion,  and  the  bullock.  These  combine  in 
representing  that  although  Zion  may  be  conquered  for  a 
little  season,  she  is  ultimately  to  triumph  over  all.*  The 
highest  stage  of  the  prediction  is  reached  in  the  representa- 
tion of  the  Euler  from  Bethlehem. 

XII.    THE  EULER  FROM  BETHLEHEM. 

§  66.  ^  ruler  will  he  horn  in  little  Bethlehem  who  will 
hear  the  name  of  Peace.  Re  will  go  forth  to  fulfil  the 
ancient  promises,  and  hecome  great  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth. 

"  And  thou,  Bethlehem  Ephrathah,^ 
Little  to  be  among  the  thousands  of  Judah, 
Out  of  thee  ^  will  come  forth  for  me 

1  See  p.  181.  2  Micah  ill.  21. 

3  See  p.  161.  *  Micah  iv.  8-13. 

^  nn~iQX  takes  the  place  of  the  flock  tower  of  the  second  section  of 
the  prediction,  and  the  mountain  of  the  house  of  the  first  section. 
It  is  a  synonym  of  Bethlehem. 

^  TjOD  is  emphatic  in  position.  The  subject  is  not  expressed.  It 
is  indefinite,  to  be  defined  by  the  following  ^^"Q- 


218  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

j 
One  who  is  to  become  ruler  in  Israel ;  1 

Whose  goings  forth  are  from  of  old,  from  ancient  days.^ 
Therefore  he  will  give  them  up,  ! 

Until  the  time  that  one  which  travaileth  ^  has  brought  forth  : 
Then  the  residue  of  his  brethren  will  return,  j 

Together  with  ^  the  children  of  Israel. 

And  he  will  stand  and  act  as  shepherd  in  the  strength  of  Jahveh,     i 
In  the  majesty  of  the  name  of  Jahveh  his  God  ;  | 

And  they  will  abide,^  for  now  he  will  becoiiie  great  j 

Unto  the  ends  of  the  earth.  \ 

And  this  one  will  be  Peace."  ^  — Micah  v.  1-4.  ! 

I 
The  prophet  sees  Zion  in  great  straits.  She  is  besieged  \ 
and  captured.  Her  ruler  is  treated  shamefully.  The  1 
line  of  David  returns  to  the  original  home  of  the  family  ! 
at  Bethlehem.  Thence  the  royal  house  had  issued  from 
a  shepherd  life  to  be  the  shepherds  of  Israel.  Thither 
they  have  returned,  and  thence  they  will  reissue  in  ' 
Messianic  times.  The  prophet  conceives  of  the  restora-  i 
tion  of  the  ruined  house  of  David  as  in  the  prediction  of  j 
Amos,®  only  he  uses  as  a  symbol  the  history  of  the  I 
elevation  of  David  to  the  throne.  The  ancient  promises  \ 
will  be  fulfilled.     The  ideal  king  of  the  Davidic  covenant '^  ; 

I 
^  VnXVlD  is  parallel  with  j<V,  and  therefore  DlpO  is  parallel  with  j 
'^'012.  Only  the  former  denote  temporal  origin,  the  latter  local  j 
origin.  The  reference  is  not  to  the  eternal  generation  of  the  Messiah,  , 
as  some  have  hastily  supposed,  misled  by  the  New  Testament  \ 
doctrine  of  the  Son  of  God  ;  but  to  the  ancient  promises  of  the  ' 
advent  as  evidences  of  the  ancient  purjDose  of  God  to  raise  up  the  ! 
Messiah. 

'  nihv  is  the  mother  of  the  Messiah,  which  can  hardly  be  other  ; 
than  j^ersonal  here.     The  article  is  omitted  because  the  mother  is  ' 
emphatically  indefinite.     We  are  to  think  of  the  same  mother  as  | 
the  HD^y  of  Isa.  vii.  14,  and  the  ^JC^D  is  the  same  as  the  Prince  of 
Isa.  xi. 

^  ''03"Py  =  together  with,  and  not  unto,  as  Kdeinert,  et  al. 

*  13D''*1.     They  will  dwell,  e.g.  in  safety,  as  in  ISIicah  iv.  4 ;  Joel  ! 
iv.  20  ;  Amos  ix.  15. 

*  wb^  is  a  name  given  to  the  h^i^-     He  has  the  same  essential  ] 
attribute  as  the  king  in  Zech.  ix.  9  and  the  prince  in  Isa.  ix.  6.  j 

«  See  p.  161.  7  See  p.  126. 


ISAIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMrOEARIES.  219 

cannot  fail  those  who  hope  for  his  appearance.  He  will 
come  forth  from  little  Bethlehem  and  become  a  ruler 
whose  dominion  will  extend  to  the  ends  of  the  earth. 
The  proud  invader  will  be  driven  back.  Under  His 
dominion  Israel  will  become  as  refreshing  dew  in  the 
midst  of  the  nations,  realizing  their  everlasting  priesthood  ; 
and  they  will  rava^^^e  their  enemies  as  a  lion  in  the  midst 
of  a  flock,  accomplishing  their  destiny  as  the  kingdom 
of  God.  But  the  aim  of  the  advent  is  peace.  The  ruler 
from  Bethlehem  will  be  Peace.  That  will  be  His  most 
characteristic  feature  and  work.  And  thus  our  prophet 
is  in  accord  with  Isaiah  and  the  other  prophets  ^  of  the 
epoch  in  looking  forward  through  the  storms  of  the  time 
to  the  realm  of  peace  and  the  sway  of  a  Prince  of 
Peace.^ 


1  See  pp.  184,  198. 

2  This  prediction  was  cited  by  the  Sanhedrin  (Matt.  ii.  5  seq.)  in 
response  to  the  inquiry  of  the  Eastern  sages  where  the  Messiah 
was  to  be  born. 


CHAPTER  Yin.  i 

j 

JEREMIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORARIES.  i 

The  brilliant  period  of  Hezekiah  was  followed  by  a  sad  : 
decline  under  Manasseh  and  Amon,  which  reduced  the 
land  so  that  it  could  not  recover.  Josiah,  a  noble  king,  ; 
attempted  a  reform,  and  led  the  nation  in  a  further  j 
advance  toward  the  Mosaic  ideal.  The  Deuteronomic  | 
code  was  brought  forth  from  the  neglected  temple,  sacred  1 
psalms  again  resounded  in  the  house  of  Jahveh,  and  holy 
prophets  gathered  about  the  king  to  encourage  him  in  i 
his  work.-^  But  this  revival  separated  the  pious  nucleus  i 
from  the  mass  of  the  people,  who  decKned  to  follow  in  j 
the  path  of  progress.  The  death  of  the  heroic  king  in  a  ' 
fruitless  struggle  at  the  ancient  Megiddo  brought  events  i 
to  their  crisis.^  The  prophets  of  Jahveh  were  unable  to  : 
prevent  the  reaction  which  brought  in  its  train  the  sure 
ruin  of  the  nation,  and  severe  afflictions  to  the  pious  \ 
remnant.  The  great  prophet  of  the  age  of  Josiah  was  ; 
Jeremiah ;  but  he  was  sustained  by  lesser  prophets,  I 
Zephaniah,  Habakkuk  and  others.  The  earliest  of  the  j 
prophets  of  tliis  period  was  Zephaniah,  whose  prediction  ; 
was  given  early  in  the  reign  of  Josiah.  i 

i 

Zephaniah.  ' 

"With  the  prophet  Ssephanya  we  meet  for  the  first  i 
time  a  considerable  diminution  of  prophetic  originality ; 

1  2  Kings  xxii. ;  2  Chron.  xxxiv. 

*  2  Kings  xxiii.  29,  30  ;  2  Chron.  xxxv.  20-26.  i 

220  { 


JEEEMIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPOEAEIES.  221 

he  repeats  a  good  deal  almost  verbally  from  older  pro- 
phets, and,  on  the  other  hand,  the  style  is  very  ornate 
and  pointed,  ii.  1,  2,  iii.  11,  18.  Wliat  is  new  is  especially 
the  extended  survey  of  all  lands  and  nations,  and  the 
general  review  of  the  spiritual  affairs  and  prospects  of 
the  whole  earth,  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  being  only 
incidentally  foretold.  We  see  that  the  small  separate 
nation,  with  its  ancient  national  distinctions,  must  neces- 
sarily lose  itself  more  and  more  in  the  general  life  of  the 
nations  of  the  earth,  whilst,  nevertheless,  the  truths  which 
had  lived  in  it  remain  the  same  and  gain  ever  greater 
validity  in  and  through  all  nations."  ^ 

I.  THE  GEEAT  JUDGMENT  OF  JAHVEH. 

§  67.  Zephaniah  predicts  that  a  great  and  terrible  day 
of  judgment  is  near  icpon  Judah  and  Jerusalem  and  all 
nations.  But  there  will  he  a  deliverance  of  the  dispersed 
righteous.  Israel  will  again  dwell  in  her  land,  Jahveh  the 
Saviour  in  her  midst,  rejoicing  over  her  in  love.  Israel 
will  he  renowned  and  praised  in  all  the  earth,  and  the 
nations,  even  from  the  distant  parts  of  Africa,  will  unite 
in  the  worship  of  Jahveh. 

It  seems  that  Zephaniah  had  in  mind  the  Scythian 
invaders.  Those  mysterious  hordes  from  the  steppes  of 
the  North  filled  the  inhabitants  of  Asia  with  consterna- 
tion. The  prophet  sees  them  as  the  instruments  of  the 
wrath  and  judgment  of  Jahveh  for  the  destruction  of  the 
nations  far  and  near. 

"I  will  utterly  consume  everything  from  upon  the  face  of  the 

ground ; 
The  utterance  of  Jahveh  is,  I  will  consume  man  and  beast ; 


1  Ewald,   Ccm.  on  the  Prophets  of  the  0.  T.  iii.  p.  16,  London 

1878. 


222  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

I  will  consume  the  birds  of  heaven  and  the  fish  of  the  sea,  and  the 
stumbling-blocks  with  the  wicked ; 

And  cut  oif  mankind  from  upon  the  face  of  the  ground,  is  the  utter- 
ance of  Jahveh."  ^ 

This  is  a  strong  representation  of  the  utter  destruction 
of  everything.  The  day  of  Jahveh  is  at  hand,  and 
universal  ruin  is  impending.  The  judgment  comes  first 
upon  the  idolaters  of  Jerusalem  and  Judah.  Jahveh 
will  search  Jerusalem  with  lamps  in  order  to  visit  them 
with  punishment. 

"Near  is  the  great  day  of  Jahveh,  near  and  greatly  hasting.^ 

Hark  !  the  day  of  Jahveh ;  the  hero  is  bitterly  crying  ^  there. 

A  day  of  overflowing  wrath  is  that  day,  a  day  of  distress  and 

trouble. 
A  day  of  waste  and  wasteness,  a  day  of  darkness  and  gloom, 
A  day  of  clouds  and  thick  darkness,  a  day  of  the  trumpet  and  alarm, 
Against  the  fenced  cities  and  against  the  corner  towers. 
And  I  will  bring  distress  upon  mankind,  and  they  will  walk  like 

the  blind, 
Because  they  have  sinned  against  Jahveh  ; 
And  their  blood  will  be  poiu-ed  out  Hke  dust,  and  their  flesh  *  like 

dung. 
Neither  their  silver  nor  their  gold  will  be  able  to  deliver  them,  in 

the  day  of  the  overflowing  wrath  of  Jahveh, 
And  by  the  fire  of  his  zeal  all  the  earth  will  be  devoured. 
For  a  completion,^  yea,  a  sudden  destruction  will  he  make  of  all  the 

inhabitants  of  the  earth."  — Zeph.  i.  14-18. 


1  Zeph.  i.  2,  3. 

*  *inD  is  infin.  abs.  Piel.      Elnobel  takes  it  as  partic.  with  D 

omitted. 

®  n~ii*  is  only  found  here  in  Kal,  and  in  Isa.  xlii.   13  in  the 

Eiphil.     The  cognate  languages  justify  the  meaning,  cry  aloud. 

*  U^nh  is  only  found  here  in  this  sense.  It  is  used  in  Job  xx. 
23  and  Ps.  xi.  6  ior  food. 

*  n^nn:  is  part.  Niph.  of  ^ni,  and  means,  sudden  destruction, 
Conip.  nv"in3,  Isa.  xxviii.  22.  n!?3  is  used  here  in  the  same  sense 
as  in  Isa.  xxviii.  22  and  Jer.  xxx.  11. 


JEEEMIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPOSARIES.  223 

In  view  of  this  universal  judgment,  men  are  called  to 
penitence  and  seeking  Jahveh. 

"  Gather  yourselves  together,  yea,  gather  together,  O  shameless  nation, 

Before  the  decree  come  to  the  birth,  like  chaff  the  day  has  passed  by, 

Before  the  heat  of  the  anger  of  Jahveh  come  upon  you. 

Before  the  day  of  the  anger  of  Jahveh  come  upon  you. 

Seek  ye  Jahveh,  all  the  meek  of  the  earth  who  have  wrought  his 

judgment ; 
Seek  righteousness,  seek  meekness  :  it  may  be  ye  will  be  hid  in  the 

day  of  the  anger  of  Jahveh."  — Zeph.  ii.  1-3. 

The  prophet  then  describes  the  destruction  of  the  cities 
of  the  Philistines  in  rapid  succession.  Moab  and  Ammon 
became  like  Sodom  and  Gomorrah.  The  Ethiopians  will 
be  slain  by  the  sword.  Assyria  will  be  overthrown,  and 
Nineveh  become  like  a  desert. 

But  this  judgment  has  in  view  a  gracious  purpose  of 
redemption,  and  this  not  only  embraces  Israel  but  also 
the  nations. 

I.  "  Therefore  wait  for  me,  is  the  utterance  of  Jahveh,  for  the  day 

of  my  rising  up  for  booty  :  ^ 
For  my  judgment  is  to  collect  nations,  that  I  should  gather 

kingdoms  ; 
To  pour  upon  them  my  indignation,  all  the  heat  of  my  anger  ; 
For  with  the  fire  of  my  zeal  all  the  earth  will  be  devoured. 
For  then  I  will  turn  unto^  the  peoples,  the  lip  will  be  purified, 
That  all  of  them  may  call  on  the  name  of  Jahveh,  and  serve 

him  with  one  shoulder. 
From  beyond  the  rivers  of  Gush  will  be  my  incense ;  *  the 

daughter  of  Phut  will  bring  a  Minchah.* 

^  OreUi,  after  the  LXX.  and  Peshitto,  reads  ^^^  =  to  testify.  But 
the  Massoretic  1]p  is  best  sustained. 

2  It  is  rendered  by  E.V.  "I  will  turn  to  the  people  a  pure  language," 
but  ^J5  has  the  force  of  unto.  Jahveh  turns  tmto  the  people  in  favour, 
after  the  judgment.     milH  is  then  a  participle  with  verbal  force. 

^  "iny,  incense,  is  parallel  with  nilJD,  and  cannot  be  rendered 
suppliant.  Ewald  sees  the  correct  meaning  and  reads  t^)Z)= Libi/a, 
parallel  with  Cush,  instead  of  |^1Q,  which  must  refer  to  the  dispersed 
of  Israel,  and  is  not  in  accordance  with  the  context. 

*  For  Minchah,  see  p.  8. 


224  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECT. 

II.  In  that  day  thou  wilt  not^  be  ashamed  of  all  thy  deeds  wherein 

thou  hast  transgi^essed  against  me  : 
For  then  I  will  remove  from  thy  midst  thy  proudly  exulting 

ones, 
And  thou  wilt  not  again  be  haughty  any  more  in  my  holy 

mountain. 
And  I  will  leave  over  in  thy  midst  a  meek  and  weak  people, 

and  they  will  seek  refuge  in  the  name  of  Jahveh. 
The  remnant  of  Israel  will  not  do  iniquity  and  will  not  speak 

falsehood  ; 
And  there  will  not  be  found  a  deceitful  tongue  in  their  mouth; 
For  they  will  feed  as  a  flock  and  lie  down,  and  there  will  be 

none  to  terrify. 

III.  Sing,  O  daughter  of  Zion,  shout  for  joy,  O  Israel ; 

Rejoice  and  exult  with  aU  thy  heart,  O  daughter  of  Jerusalem. 
Jahveh  hath  removed  thy  judgments,  hath  cleared  away  thy 

enemy  : 
The  King  of  Israel,  Jahveh,  is  in  thy  midst ;  thou  wilt  not 

fear  evil  any  more.^ 
In  that  day  Jerusalem  will  be  called  ^Al-TiraH;   Zion,  ^Al~ 

yirpu-yadhayikhj^ 
Jahveh  thy  God  is  in  thy  midst,  a  hero  who  saveth  : 
He  rejoiceth  over  thee  with  joy,  renews  his  love,^  exults  over 

thee  with  singing. 

1  The  negative  ^  is  difficult,  and  yet  is  the  best  sustained.  It 
refers  to  a  time  when  there  will  be  no  more  shame  for  sin,  because 
there  will  be  no  more  sin.     Hitzig  would  read  t^Jj,  "  Mayest  thou 

be  ashamed."  This  would  be  more  natural.  But  there  is  no  neces- 
sity for  forsaking  the  Massoretic  text  and  the  Versions. 

'^  The  LXX.  reads  ''i<"in  =  see,  and  so  many  Massoretic  MSS.,  and 
these  are  followed  by  Henderson,  et  al.  But  the  Compl.  and  the 
majority  of  the  best  Massoretic  MSS.  read  ''N1TI,  and  so  the 
Vulgate.     This  is  best  suited  to  the  context. 

^  ''i^in'Sx  =  Fear  not,  is  a  name  given  to  Jerusalem,  and 
T'T'  1D"i''"?i<  =  ?e^  not  thine  hands  he  slacks  a  name  given  to  Zion,  as 
Jerusalem  is  called  in  Jer.  xxxiii.  16,  IJplV  ^1^^  and  in  Isa.  Ixii.  4, 
Ilephzibah  and  Beulah. 

■*  LXX.  and  Peshitto  read  tJ^nnS  and  are  followed  by  Houbigant, 
Kewcome,  Ewald,  et  al.  This  is  well  sustained,  and  is  more  suited 
to  the  context  than  the  Massoretic  K^nn\  he  silent^  which  is  followed 
by  most  interpreters. 


JEKEMIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORAEIES.  225 

IV.  The  afflicted  ^  for  the  place  of  assembly  I  have  collected.    Of 

thee  they  were,  burdened  with  reproach  for  her  sake.^ 
Lo,  I  am  about  to  deal  with  all  who  afflict  thee  at  that  time, 
And  I  will  save  the  halt,  and  the  outcast  will  I  gather, 
And  make  them  a  praise  and  a  name  in  all  the  earth  where 

they  were  shamed. 
At  that  time  will  I  bring  you,  and  at  the  time  will  be  my 

gathering  of  you : 
For  I  will  make  you  a  name  and  a  praise  among  all  the 

peoples  of  the  earth. 
When   I  restore   your    prosperity   before    your   eyes,   saith 

Jahveh."  — Zeph.  iii.  8-20. 

This  prediction  of  Zephaniah  is  remarkable  for  its 
extension  of  redemption  to  the  nations  after  the  judgment. 
It  is  a  further  unfolding  of  Isa.  xix.  18-25.^  As  in 
Isaiah,  Egypt  was  to  speak  the  language  of  Canaan,  so 
here  the  worship  of  Jahveh  will  become  universal.  All 
nations  will  have  their  lips  purified  so  as  to  call  upon 
the  name  of  Jahveh.  The  nations  that  are  especially 
prominent  in  this  worship,  according  to  the  conception 
of  the  prophet,  are  the  distant  nations  of  Africa,  the 
Ethiopians  and  the  Libyans.  These  will  offer  their 
incense  offerings  and  their  vegetable  offerings.  This  is 
similar  to  the  prediction  of  Isaiah,  that  there  was  to  be 
an  altar  in  the  land  of  Egypt.  The  universal  worship  of 
Jahveh  in  Messianic  times  is  represented  in  the  forms  of 
the  ceremonial  of  the  altar  and  the  offerings  of  the  Old 
Testament  dispensation.  This  representation  is  the 
clothing  of  the  ideal,  and  not  the  ideal  itself.     For  in  the 

^    ''J13,  const.  Niph.  part.  nr=«#*c^;  for  the  usual  ''ji:,  see  Lam. 

i.  4  (nii^j)-  Houbigant,  Newcome,  et  al.  follow  the  LXX.  and  read 
"7\'^y\^  =  thy  ajfiicted  ones,  nyio  is  taken  by  LXX.,  Ewald,  Henderson, 
et  al.  as  festival,  as  in  Lam.  i,  4,  ii.  6.  But  it  is  better  to  think  of 
the  place  of  assembling,  parallel  with  Zion. 

^  n''i5y=/or  her  sake,  that  is,  Zion^s  sake.  But  the  Peshitto, 
Targum,  some  Massoretic  MSS.  read  ^"h)))  and  these  are  followed 
by  Newcome. 

«  See  p.  206. 

P 


226  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

times  of  the  Messiah,  universal  worship  rises  above  the 
local  altars  and  the  ceremonial  of  sacrifice. 

The  prophet  is  also  remarkable  for  the  tenderness 
with  which  he  represents  the  relation  of  Israel  and 
Jahveh.  He  advances  in  the  line  of  Hosea.^  The  union 
is  a  marriage  union.  New  names  are  given  in  the  day  of 
restoration,  and  Jahveh  rejoices  as  in  a  great  marriage 
festival.  Here  we  have  "  one  of  the  boldest,  most 
wondrous  sayings  of  the  Old  Testament,  which  is  not 
presumptuous  only  because  the  seer  was  vouchsafed  a 
glimpse  into  the  unfathomable  decree  of  love  revealed 
in  the  New  Testament."^  Israel  will  no  longer  be 
reproached  and  afflicted  by  the  nations,  but  will  be 
honoured  and  praised  by  all  the  earth. 

II.   THE  ADOPTION  OF  THE  NATIONS  IN  ZION. 

§  68.  Psalm  LXXXVIL  describes  the  adojption  of  the 
nations  into  the  city  of  God  and  their  enrolment  among  the 
citizens  of  Zion. 

This  in  some  respects  is  the  most  remarkable  of  the 
psalms.  It  may  be  compared  with  Ps.  xlv.  and  Isa.  xix. 
18-25  in  its  attitude  to  the  nations  of  the  world.  But 
its  outlook  is  wider  even  than  Zeph.  iii.  9,  10.  The 
mention  of  Babylon  alongside  of  Egypt  shows  that  we 
have  passed  from  the  Assyrian  period  into  the  Babylonian. 
It  is  nearer  to  the  representation  of  Zephaniah,  and  it  is 
probable  that  it  belongs  to  this  general  period,  if  not 
later. 

"  His  foundation  *  in  the  holy  mountains  Jahveh  is  loving,* 
The  ffates  of  Zion  are  better  than  all  the  tabernacles  of  Jacob. 


1  See  p.  172.  ^  Orelli  in  I.e.  p.  321. 

^  irniD"'  is  only  found  here  for  ^DID  of  Isa.  xxviii.  16. 
*  The  characteristic  tense  of  this  piece  is  the  participle.     It  must 
be  given  its  classic  force,  unless  we  regard  the  poem  as  post-exilic, 


JEREMIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORARIES.  227 

Glorious  things  are  being  spoken  in  ^  thee,  city  of  God  ! 

I  mention  Eahab  ^  and  Babel  as  belonging  to  those  who  know 

me; 
Lo,  Philistia  and  Tyre  with  Gush  :  '  This  one  was  born  there.' 
And  as  belonging  to  Zion,  it  is  said, — 'This  one  and  that  one 

were  ^  born  in  her.' 
And  'Elyon,  Jahveh — he  establisheth  her. 
He  counteth  in  writing  *  up  the  peoples, — '  this  one  was  born 

there.' 
Yea,  they  are  singing  as  well  as  dancing  all  who  dwell  in  thee."* 

Delitzsch  aptly  names  this  psalm  "  the  city  of  the 
regeneration  of  the  nations."  ^  Perowne  appropriately 
says,  "  Foreign  nations  are  here  described,  not  as  captives 
or  tributaries,  not  even  as  doing  voluntary  homage  to  the 
greatness  and  glory  of  Zion,  but  as  actually  incorporated 
and  enrolled,  by  a  new  birth,  among  her  sons.  Even 
the  worst  enemies  of  their  race,  the  tyrants  and  oppressors 
of  the  Jews,  Egypt  and  Babylon,  are  threatened  with  no 
curse,  no  shout  of  joy  is  raised  in  the  prospect  of  their 
overthrow,  but  the  privileges  of  citizenship  are  extended 
to  them,  and  they  are  welcomed  as  brothers.  Nay  more, 
God  Himself  receives  each  one  as  a  child  newly  born 

when  the  participles  may  represent  the  other  tenses  as  in  Aramaic. 
This  piece  is  a  pentameter,  nrii^  is  correctly  attached  to  the  first 
line  by  Hupfeld,  Perowne,  et  al. 

^  TJ3  may  be  taken  as  of  thee,  with  Perowne,  E.V.  et  al.  But  it 
is  better,  with  Hupfeld,  to  render  in  thee. 

2  3ni  is  a  name  of  Egypt,  as  in  Ps.  Ixxxix.  11  and  Isa.  xxx.  7,  on 
account  of  her  pride,  as  a  sea  monster. 

^  For  the  thought,  compare  Isa.  xix.  18-25  (see  p.  206). 

^  lin^  is  infin.  construct  as  E.V.  But  Ewald,  Hitzig,  Delitzsch 
follow  the  LXX.  and  Targum  in  regarding  IITIS  =  3n3  =  book   or 

writing,  for  the  usual  nSD-     Jerome  renders  by  participle. 

^    The    LXX.    reads   KocToiKiet  =  py?^.     Hupfeld    points    ^y^)i^. 

Bottcher  '>j''pQ.     The  latter  is  better.     Ewald  reads  ijiyD^  my  arts. 

"•y yo  =  fountains,  springs,  e.g.  of  life,  is  retained  by  Delitzsch,  who 

puts  these  words  in  the  mouth  of  the  singers.     Perowne  regards 
them  still  as  words  of  God.     The  R.V.  also  retains  this  pointing. 
^  Delitzsch,  Psalmen^  p.  603. 


228  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

into  His  family,  acknowledges  each  as  His  son,  and 
enrolls  him  with  His  own  hand  in  the  sacred  register  of 
His  children."  ^ 

The  representation  differs  from  Ps.  xlv.,  in  that  there 
the  union  with  the  nations  was  through  the  bridal  re- 
lation established  with  them  by  the  Messianic  king.^ 
Here  it  is  a  divine  adoption  into  the  rank  of  sonship, 
and  an  enrolment  in  the  register  of  the  citizens  of  Zion. 
In  Isa.  xix.  18—25,  Egypt  and  Assyria  are  united  with 
Israel  as  the  people  of  God,  and  share  alike  the  sacred 
names  expressing  the  covenant  relation  of  Israel  to  God.^ 
Here  the  stiU  more  sacred  relation  of  sonship  in  the 
original  calling  of  Israel  *  is  extended  to  them.  Israel 
was  then  the  first-born  son  of  Jahveh,  and  no  other  such 
sons  were  mentioned.  Here  Jahveh  enrolls  many  sons 
in  his  family,  and  all  distinctions  between  them  have 
passed  away.  In  Zeph.  iii.  the  nations  are  purified 
to  worship  God  with  lip  and  with  ofi'erings,  and  the 
distant  nations  of  Africa  are  especially  mentioned.^ 
Here  a  family  of  nations  is  assembled  from  all  parts, 
including  Babylon  and  Egypt,  Philistia  and  Ethiopia. 
In  Zeph.  iii.  Jahveh  was  represented  as  reigning 
over  restored  Israel.  Here  the  nations  who  have  been 
assembled  in  Zion  are  represented  as  singing  and  dancing 
in  celebration  of  the  festival  of  their  adoption  and 
registration  and  union  with  one  another  and  with  Jahveh. 


m.    THE  RESTORATION  OF  THE  VINE  ISRAEL. 

§  69.  The  vine  Israel  has  hcen  ravaged  hy  the  leasts  of 
the  Nile  and  the  EuiiiJirates.  Psalm  LXXX.  is  a  'prayer 
for  restoration,  and  especially  for  support  to  the  Messianic 
son  of  man,  the  man  of  JaJivelis  right  hand. 

^  Perowne,  Booh  of  Psahns,  ii.  p.  133.  ^  See  p.  140. 

*  See  p.  206.  *  See  p.  100.  »  See  p.  225. 


JEREMIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORAEIES.  229 

Ps.  Ixxx.  probably  belongs  to  the  time  of  Josiah,  when 
Egypt  was  the  chief  enemy  of  Judah.  It  has  four 
strophes  marked  by  refrains.  The  third  strophe  is  a 
double  strophe  with  a  double  refrain.  The  other 
strophes  are  of  six  trimeter  lines,  with  a  refrain  of  two 
lines, 

I.  "  Shepherd  of  Israel,^  O  give  ear, 

Leader  of  Joseph  like  a  flock  ; 
Enthroned  ^  above  the  cherubim,  O  shine  forth.* 
Before  Ephraim,  and  Benjamin,  and  Manasseh,* 
•  O  stir  up  thy  strength, 
And  O  come  for  salvation  to  us. 

Elohim,^  restore  us, 

And  let  thy  face  shine  that  we  may  he  saved. 

II.  Jahveh,  Elohim,  Sabaoth. 

How  long  dost  thou  smoke  ^  during^  the  prayer  of  thy  people  ? 


1  This  is  a  reminiscence  of  Gen.  xlix.  24.  It  is  a  favourite  term 
of  the  Psalms  of  Asaph.  Comp.  Pss.  Ixxiv.  1,  Ixxviii.  52,  Ixxix.  13, 
and  also  the  group  xcv.-c. 

2  y;^^  is  pregnant  =  enthroned,  as  the  cherubim  are  here  conceived 
as  constituting  the  throne  of  Jahveh,  as  in  the  tabernacle  and  the 
temple. 

^  nysin.  This  is  a  favourite  idea  of  the  Psalter  of  Asaph.  See 
Ps,  1,  2  ;  Deut.  xxxiii.  2  ;  Ps.  Ixxxiv.  11. 

4  The  exclusive  mention  of  the  tribes  in  Middle  Palestine  may  be 
accounted  for  from  that  part  of  the  blessing  of  Jacob  upon  which 
the  psalm  is  based.  Perowne  thinks  of  their  association  in  the 
order  of  the  march  from  Sinai  (Num.  ii.  17-24).  It  may  also  be 
from  the  feeling  that  Judah  in  her  present  crisis  needs  the  aid  of 
these  tribes.  If  the  psalm  was  written  after  the  exile  of  these 
tribes,  there  still  remained  powerful  remnants  in  the  time  of  Josiah. 
And  these  might  be  stirred  up  to  espouse  the  cause  of  the  national 
God  in  the  revival  of  the  time  of  the  heroic  Josiah. 

^  The  refrains  of  the  three  strophes  differ  only  in  the  divine 
names,  which  increase  from  DmI^X  to  n*lSn^  Wrh)!^  in  the  second 
refrain,  and  n"IN2V  D\~!i?J<  niH''  in  the  fourth.  The  third  refrain 
uses  the  same  divine  names  as  the  second  refrain,  but  heaps  up 
imperatives  of  supplication. 

^  jK^y  is  the  smoking  of  the  nostrils  in  anger.  Comp.  Pss.  xviii.  8, 
Ixxiv.  1. 

^  n^Dnn.  The  n  can  hardly  express  hostility.  It  has  rather 
temporal  force,  in  the  time  o/,  during. 


230  MESSIANIC  PKOPHECY. 

Tliou  hast  given  them  the  bread  of  tears  ^  to  eat, 

And  hast  given  them  to  drink  out  of  tears  as  a  measure  ;  • 

Thou  settest  us  as  a  strife  to  our  neighbours, 

And  our  enemies  are  mocking  at  us.^ 

Elohim^  Sabaoth  restore  W5, 

And  let  thy  face  sldne  that  we  may  he  saved. 

m.  A  vine  out  of  Egypt  *  thou  removest, 

Thou  dravest  out  nations  and  so  ^  didst  plant  it ; 

Thou  didst  clear  away  before  it,  and  cause  it  to  take  root, 

And  the  land  was  filled  with  its  roots.^ 

The  mountains  were  covered  with  its  shadow. 

And  the  cedai^  of  'El ''  with  its  boughs. 

It  put  forth  its  branches  unto  the  sea, 

And  unto  the  river  its  shoots. 

Why  hast  thou  broken  down  its  hedges, 

So  that  all  the  passers-by  are  plucking  it  ? ' 


^  nyron  Urb.  ^  Comp.  Ps.  xlii.  3  ;  Job  iii.  24  ;  Lam.  iii.  15. 

^  niyon^.  3  is  used  in  a  local  sense.  The  tears  constitute  the  cup 
out  of  which  the  Psalmist  drinks.  The  Hebrew  says:  drink  in 
a  cup,  where  we  would  say :  di'iiik  out  of  a  cup.  We  might  give  3 
an  instrumental  force.  As  we  say  feed  v:ith  food,  the  thirst  might 
be  satisfied  with  tears.  The  latter  view  forces  us  to  regard  ^i^'h^  as 
adverbial,  as  LXX.  iv  yArpu.  In  the  other  case  it  is  taken  as  in 
apposition,  a  third  measui'e. 

^  \t2h  should  be  iji?,  as  LXX.  and  Vulgate  gave  it.  So 
Ewald  et  al.  A.V.  and  E.Y.  have  wrongly  followed  the  Massoretic 
texts. 

*  This  allegory  of  the  vine  is  based  upon  the  blessing  of  Joseph, 
even  in  its  phraseology  (see  p.  97). 

^  nyonv     The  "1  consec.  expresses  result. 

«  We  transpose  X^?2m  with  r\''^'\^  on  account  of  the  rhythm. 

^  h^  '•nS  as  in  ^s  mn,  Ps.  xxxvi.  7.  Hupfeld  thinks  that  the 
idea  that  the  cedars  of  Lebanon  were  covered  by  the  boughs  of 
this  vine  is  too  enormous  a  figure,  and  insists  upon  the  particle  of 
comparison.  "  Its  boughs  are  as  those  of  the  cedars  of  God  ;  " 
so  A.V.  and  E.V.  But  the  margin  of  E.V.  gives  it  correctly  after 
most  critics.  The  parallelism  is  decidedly  for  it,  and  such  enormous 
figures  are  not  unusual  in  Hebrew  poetry.  See  Micah  iv.  1 ; 
Ezek.  xvii.  22.     See  p.  50. 

®  nnt?  is  a  rare  fonn,  only  found  here.     It  is  1  consec.  perfect, 
expressing  the  frequentative  imperfect. 


JEREMIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORARIES.  231 

The  boar  out  of  the  forest  ^  is  ravaging  it,^ 
And  the  beast  ^  of  the  fields  is  feeding  on  it. 

Elohim,  Sahaoth  turn  now,  look  from  heaven^ 

See  and  visit  this  vine ;  * 

And  protect  ^  that  which  thy  right  hand  planted, 

And  he  over  the  branch  ^  thou  hast  strengthened  for  thyself, 

IV.  It  is  burnt  with  fire,  it  is  cut  down/ 

At  the  rebuke  of  thy  face  let  them  perish. 

Let  thy  hand  be  over  the  man  of  thy  right  hand, 

Upon  the  son  of  man  thou  hast  strengthened  for  thyself  : 

And  we  will  not  depart  from  thee  : — 

Quicken  us,  and  on  thy  name  we  will  call. 

Jahveh,  Elohim,  Sahaoth  restore  us, 

Let  thy  face  shine  that  we  may  he  saved}* 

This  psalm  uses  the  symbol  of  the  vine  to  set  forth 
the  original  planting  in  the  holy  land,  the  present  evil 
condition  of  affairs  and  the  future  restoration.  The 
symbol  was  taken  from  the  blessing  of  Jacob,  and  the 

^  "lyS  with  suspended  y,  is  probably  for  "ib{>,  as  Hupfeld,  Gratz, 
et  at,  referring  to  the  Nile,  and  thereby  indicating  that  Egypt  is  the 
river  swine,  the  hippopotamus  who  is  ravaging  Israel.  This  would 
put  the  psalm  in  the  time  of  Josiah,  as  the  only  period  in  the 
history  of  Israel  subsequent  to  the  exodus  when  Egypt  was  the 
chief  enemy,  except  for  the  brief  period  in  the  reign  of  Rehoboam. 

^  nJ0D"l5'' — a  quadriliteral  for  DD3,  only  found  here.  Comp. 
for  the  idea,  Ps.  Ixxxix.  40,  41. 

^  t"*?  =  full-breasted  beast.  See  Ps.  1.  11,  where  alone  elsewhere 
it  has  this  sense.  These  animals  from  the  forest  probably  refer  to 
the  Edomites,  Moabites,  and  other  nations  on  the  east  of  the  Jordan. 

*  The  Psalmist  heaps  up  the  synonymous  y\^  t22n   ni<"l   and 

^  n3D1.     If  this  pointing  be  correct,  it  is  an  unusual  form  of  the 

cohort.-imperative  p3  for  nsb-     In  this  case  it  would  be  better  to 

regard  the  pointing  as  incorrect.  The  A.Y.  and  R.V.  follow  the 
chief  Versions,  except  LXX.,  and  regard  it  as  a  feminine  noun,  like 
p,  with  the  meaning,  stock,  stem.     Gratz  would  read   n32,  garden. 

The  context  favours  the  imperative,  and  Perowne  rightly  adopts  it. 
^  |3  is  used,  after  Gen.  xUx.  22,  as  shoot. 

"^  nniDD  fern.  pass.  part.  nD3,  an  Aramaic  word,  only  here  and 
Isa.  xxxiii.  12  in  Hebrew. 


232  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

Psalmist  makes  free  use  of  the  original  representation. 
But  there  are  two  Messianic  psalms  in  his  mind.  The 
term  "  son  of  man  "  was  derived  from  the  ideal  man  of 
Psalm  viii.  and  the  "  man  of  thy  right  hand  "  from  the 
conquering  king  of  Psalm  cx.^  These  two  Messianic  terms 
are  combined  in  their  reference  to  the  Messianic  head  of 
Israel,  who  is  to  be  the  object  of  the  divine  favour  in  the 
times  of  the  restoration.  The  Messiah  is  here  viewed  as 
the  head  of  a  redeemed  people  rather  than  as  himself 
their  Saviour.  The  divine  advent  assumes  the  most  im- 
portant position  in  the  Messianic  idea  even  when  the 
Messianic  head  of  the  nation  is  brought  into  view. 
Eedemption  is  in  the  shining  forth  of  the  divine  glory 
from  Zion.     In  this  is  the  hope  of  Israel 

Habakkuk. 

The  prophet  Habakkuk  belongs  to  the  Babylonian 
period.  He  issued  his  prophecy  somewhat  later  than 
ZeiDhaniah,  probably  in  the  reign  of  Jehoiakin.  "  Great 
as  Habaqquq  is  in  thought,  he  is  no  less  so  in  language 
and  literary  skill ;  he  is  the  last  prophet  belonging  to 
the  age  preceding  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  who  is 
master  of  a  beautiful  style,  of  powerful  description,  and 
an  artistic  power  that  enlivens  and  orders  everything  with 
charming  effect.  We  are  still  able  to  admire  in  him  the 
genuine  type  and  full  beauty  of  ancient  Hebrew  pro- 
phecy ;  he  is  its  last  pure  light,  and  although  he  already 
reproduces  much  from  older  books,  he  still  maintains 
complete  independence."  ^ 

Habakkuk  complains  to  Jahveh,  and  calls  upon  the 
everlasting  and  holy  God  to  look  upon  the  evil  that  the 
Chaldeans  are  doing  in  their  invasion,  and  to  visit  them 

^  See  pp.  132  seq.,  178  seq. 

2  Ewald,  Prophets^  English  edition,  iii.  p.  32. 


JEREMIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORAEIES.  233 

with  punishment.  Jahveh  responds  to  this  complaint 
with  a  grand  representation  of  the  just  complaints  of  the 
nations  against  the  greedy  and  unscrupulous  kingdom. 
This  response  is  introduced  by  a  striking  contrast  between 
the  wicked  kingdom  and  the  righteous  people  of  God. 

"  Behold  a  puffed  up  person,  his  soul  is  not  upright  in  him  ; 
But  a  righteous  man,  by  his  faithfulness  will  he  live."  ^ 

This  gives  the  assurance  that  the  faithful,  righteous 
people  of  Israel  will  live  when  the  proud  oppressor  will 
come  to  ruin.  This  piece  concludes  with  an  assurance  of 
the  powerful  presence  of  Jahveh  Himself. 

"Jahveh  is  in  his  holy  temple  ; 
Be  silent  before  him,  aU  the  earth."  * 

In  the  midst  of  the  complaint  of  the  nations  the  pro- 
phet quotes  a  prediction  from  Isa.  xi. 

"Woe  to  the  one  building  a  city  with  bloodshed. 
And  establishing  a  town  with  iniquity  1 
Behold,  is  it  not  from  Jahveh  Sabaoth 
That  the  peoples  toil  for  the  fire. 
And  the  nations  in  vain  become  weary  1 
For  the  earth  will  be  filled. 
With  knowing  the  glory  of  Jahveh, 
As  the  waters  cover  over  the  sea."  ' 

The  prophet  concludes  with  a  sublime  representation 
of  the  advent  of  Jahveh  for  judgment  and  salvatioa 

IV.  THE  ADVENT  OF  JAHVEH  IN  GLORY. 

§  70.  Habakhuk  describes  the  advent  of  JcihveJi  for  the 
redemption  of  his  jpeojple  and  the  destruction  of  their  enemies. 

1  Hab.  ii.  4.  ^  Hab.  ii.  20. 

3  Hab.  ii.  12-14.  The  last  verse  is  clearly  a  use  of  the  older 
Isaiah  xi.  9.  Hab.  uses  sten  for  the  nt^^D  of  Isaiah,  nvrh  for  nV"T, 
inserts  nU3  before  niHS  and  uses  D^  hv  1DD"»  for  D"'DDD  uh  5  but 
there  is  no  change  in  the  idea. 


234  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

L  "  Jahveh,  I  have  heard  the  report  of  thee, 
I  fear,  Jahveh,  thy  work.^ 
In  the  midst  of  the  years  revive  him,^ 
In  the  midst  of  the  years  make  known, 
In  rage  remember  compassion. 

II  Eloah  Cometh  from  Teman, 

And  the  Holy  One  from  Mount  Paran,' 

His  splendour  doth  cover  the  heavens, 

And  the  earth  is  filled  with  his  renown, 

And  brightness  appeareth  *  like  the  light, 

He  has  rays  *  of  light  (coming  forth)  from  his  hands, 

And  he  makes  ^  a  hiding  of  his  splendour, 

HI.  Before  him  goeth  pestilence, 

And  fever  goeth  forth  at  his  feet ;  ^ 

He  doth  stand  and  measure  ^  the  earth, 

He  doth  see  and  shake  the  nations. 

Then  the  everlasting  mountains  are  scattered. 

The  eternal  hills  sink  down. 

The  ancient  ways  ^  are  his. 

rV.  In  trouble  I  see  the  tents  of  Cush, 

The  curtains  of  Midian's  land  are  trembling. 
Is  it  against  rivers  it  doth  burn,  Jahveh  ? 
Or  against  rivers  is  thine  anger, 


^  We  arrange  the  lines  in  accordance  with  the  parallelism.  ']fjyQ 
is  Jahveh's  work  in  theophany,  His  judgment,  especially  as  in  ver. 
16,  the  cause  of  fear  to  the  Psalmist. 

2  liT'Tl.     The  suffix  refers  to  Israel  and  not  the  work. 

^  These  are  the  places  of  theophany  in  Deut.  xxxiii.  2  and  Judg. 
V.  4. 

*  n\"in  has  here  the  meaning,  become,  appear. 

*  D'':"lp  =  horns  or  rays  of  light,  as  in  Ex.  xxxiv.  29,  30. 

6  g^"  =  there,  is  the  Massoretic  reading  followed  by  Jerome  and 
RY.  The  verb  Db>  of  the  LXX.  Aquilla,  Sym.  and  Peshitto  is 
followed  by  Hitzig,  and  is  the  better  reading. 

^  V^:"lb,  at  his  feet,  after  him  in  his  steps. 

®/n?3''"l  is  taken  as  Poel  of  "no  =  measure,  by  Vulgate,  Kimchi, 
Steiner,  et  al.  It  is  derived  from  Tio  =  t:iD  =  totter,  waver,  by 
LXX.,  Targ.,  Delitzsch,  Ewald,  et  al. 

®  nUvn  =  ways,  as  in  Prov.  xxxi.  27. 


JEREMIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORAEIES.  235 

Or  against  the  sea  thine  overflowing  wrath, 
That  thou  ridest  upon  thy  horses,^ 
Thy  chariots — for  salvation  1  ^ 

V.  Thy  bow  is  made  entirely  bare ; 
Sworn  are  the  rods  of  thy  word. 
Thou  cleavest  streams  to  the  earth. 
Have  they  seen  thee,  the  mountains  writhe, 
A  flood  of  waters  doth  overflow, 
A  great  deep  doth  utter  its  voice, 
On  high  it  doth  lift  its  hands. 

VI.  Sun  and  moon  stand  in  their  boundary ; 
In  the  light  of  thine  arrows  they  move,' 
At  the  shining  of  thy  lightning-spear. 
With  indignation  thou  marchest  through  the  earth, 
With  anger  thou  threshest  the  nations ; 
Thou  dost  go  forth  for  the  salvation  of  thy  people, 
For  the  salvation  of  ^  thine  anointed. 

VII.  Thou  dost  dash  in  pieces  the  chief  away  from  the  house  of 
the  wicked, 
Laying  bare  the  foundation  to  the  neck. 
Thou  dost  pierce  with  his  rods  the  chief,* 
When  his  rulers  ^  are  rushing  in  to  scatter  me. 
Their  exaltation  is  as  it  were  to  devour  the  afflicted  in  secret. 
Thou  dost  tread  on  the  sea. 
With  thy  horses,  the  foam  of  many  waters. 


1  The  horses  of  Jahveh  are  to  be  compared  with  the  cherubic 
chariot  of  Ps.  xviii.  10. 

2  nyiC'''  is  usually  taken  as  the  absolute  of  the  previous  "TTin^lD. 
But  it  is  better  to  regard  it  as  the  accusative  of  purpose  or  of 
direction. 

^  ID^n''  is  taken  by  some  as  a  relative  clause.  But  it  is  better  to 
think  of  the  movement  of  the  sun  and  moon  in  the  light  of  the  arrows 
of  the  lightnings,  over  against  the  standing  still  of  the  sun  in  the 
previous  context. 

^  It  is  better  to  read  ni^  VK^in.  The  Massoretic  ]}^'<  with  nx  is 
awkward. 

s  The  Massoretic  accents  are  incorrect.  We  follow  the  paral- 
lelism. 

6  it-|p)  is  used  here  as  in  Judg.  v.  7,  11,  dominion  for  the  rulers, 
chieftains. 


236    .  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

Vm.  I  hear,  my  belly  is  agitated, 
At  the  sound  my  lips  quiver, 
Kottenness  comes  into  my  bones, 
And  beneath  ^  me  I  am  trembling : 
When  I  am  awaiting  the  day  of  trouble, 
The  coming  to  a  people  to  crush  him. 

IX.  For  the  fig-tree  was  not  blooming. 

And  there  was  no  produce  in  the  vines, 
The  work  of  the  olive  failed. 
And  the  fields  did  not  yield  food, 
The  flock  was  cut  off  from  the  fold. 
And  there  were  no  cattle  in  the  stalls. 

X.  Yerily,  I  will  exult  in  Jahveh, 

I  will  rejoice  in  the  God  of  my  salvation  ; 

Jahveh  Adonay  is  my  army. 

He  hath  made  my  feet  like  hinds. 

To  cause  me  to  ride  upon  the  high  places." 

— Hab.  iii. 

This  sublime  piece  of  poetry  is  in  the  trimeter  move- 
ment. As  in  the  previous  prophecy,  we  have  first  the 
prayer  of  the  prophet  for  re^dval  and  mercy  in  the  midst 
of  the  display  of  wrath  upon  the  wicked  enemies.  This 
is  followed  by  six  strophes  describing  the  advent  in 
theophany,  after  the  manner  of  the  blessing  of  Moses, 
the  song  of  Deborah  and  the  song  of  David.^  The  poem 
concludes  with  two  strophes  describing  the  terror  of  the 
prophet  in  the  first  experience  of  the  glories  of  the 
theophany,  and  then  a  final  strophe  exhibiting  his  joy  in 
the  experience  of  redemption.  This  advent  of  Jahveh  is 
the  same  advent  which  is  ever  looked  for  in  the  unfold- 
ing of  the  divine  side  of  Messianic  prediction.  Here  the 
redemption  of  his  people  is  the  chief  object  in  the  view  of 
the  prophet,  who  advances  from  a  condition  of  fear  to  joy 
in  the  contemplation  of  it. 

1  innn  =  beneath  me,  or  the  lower  parts. 
*  Deut.  xxxiii. ;  Judg.  v. ;  Ps.  xviii. 


JEREMIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPOEAPJES.  237 


V.    THE  RIGHTEOUS  JUDGE. 

§  71.  Psalm  L.  represents  God  as  the  righteous  judge. 
He  comes  in  theophany  for  judg7)ient.  The  righteous  and 
the  wicked  are  alike  warned  to  offer  thank-offerings  and. 
glorify  God^  lest  they  he  destroyed  hy  the  fire  of  His  wrath. 

Psalm  1.  describes  a  theophany  from  Zion  with  devour- 
ing fire  and  raging  tempest  for  judgment  upon  the 
righteous  and  the  wicked.  The  ethical  tone  and  high 
spirituality  of  the  psalm  resemble  Habakkuk,  and  the 
advent  is  described  in  somewhat  similar  terms.  It  is  an 
advent  of  light  and  glory.  The  historical  situation  of  the 
psalm  is  somewhat  doubtful,  but  it  is  quite  well  suited  to 
this  period,  and  is  best  considered  in  connection  with 
Habakkuk.  The  righteous  and  the  wicked  are  alike 
warned  against  external  sacrifices,  and  are  exhorted  to 
sincere  worship  with  thank-offerings  and  votive  offerings. 
The  psalmist  is  remarkable  for  his  breadth  of  view  and 
sublime  representation  of  divine  glory  and  power  extend- 
ing over  the  entire  earth  from  sunrise  to  sunset.  The 
psalm  is  composed  of  three  equal  strophes,  with  a  refrain 
which  is  essentially  the  same  in  thought,  and  yet  varies 
somewhat  in  accordance  with  the  strophe  to  which  it 
is  attached.  The  refrain  is  missing  from  the  first  strophe. 
And  it  is  not  easy  to  restore  it  in  its  original  form. 

L  "  ^El  Elohim  ^  Jahveh  doth  speak, 

And  call  the  earth  from  the  rising  of  the  sun  unto  the  going 

down  thereof. 
Out  of  Zion,  the  perfection  of  beauty,  God  doth  shine  forth. 
Let  our  God  come,  and  let  him  not  keep  sUent !  ^ 


\  niiT'  DNHPt?  75^.  These  tbree  divine  names  are  used  side  by  side 
as  independent  names  of  God. 

2  ^rr*  ^5<  must  be  rendered  as  jussive.  The  R.V.  is  in  error  in 
rendering  it  as  indicative,  ^^  shall  not  keep  silence."  Ewald  renders 
"  darf  nichi  ;  "  DeUtzsch  "  kann  nicht." 


238  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

A  fire  devouretli  before  him,  and  round  about  him  it  is  very 

tempestuous. 
He  calleth  to  the  heaven  above  and  to  the  earth  to  judge  his 

people. 
*  Gather  unto  me  my  favoured  ones,   who  have   made  a 

covenant  with  me  by  a  peace-offering,' 
The  heavens  do  declare  ^  his  righteousness,  that  God  is  judge 

Himself.2 

II.  '  O  hear,  my  people,  and  I  will  speak,  Israel, 

And  I  will  testify  unto  thee,  I,  God,  thy  God. 

Not  for  thy  peace-offerings  will  I  reprove  thee,  or  thy  whole 
burnt-offerings  which  are  contmually  before  me, 

I  will  not  take  from  thy  house  a  bullock,  from  thy  folds  he- 
goats  ; 

For  mine  are  all  the  wild  animals  ^  of  the  forest,  beasts  upon 
mountains  where  thousands  are."* 

I  know  all  the  birds  of  the  mountains,  and  the  wild  beasts  ^ 
of  the  fields  are  with  me. 

If  I  were  hungry,  I  would  not  say  it  to  thee  ;  for  mine  is  the 
world  and  its  fulness.*^ 

Shall  I  eat  the  flesh  of  bulls,  or  drink  the  blood  of  goats  ? 

Ofer  unto  God  a  thank-ofering^  and  pay  unto  '  Ely  on  thy  vows, 

And  call  iipon  me  in  the  day  of  trouble,  I  will  deliver  thee,  and 
do  thou  glorify  me.' 

III.  But  unto  the  wicked  God  doth  say,  *  "What  shall  be  thine, 

Declaring  my  statutes,  thou  hast  taken  my  covenant  in  thy 
mouth. 

1  'KVy^\    The  1  consec.  imperf.  goes  back  upon  the  perfect  with 

which  the  Psalm  begins.  This  is  the  strict  classic  style.  It  is 
wrongly  rendered  by  E.Y.  "  shall  declare" 

^  The  first  strophe  has  eight  lines,  but  the  refrain  has  been 
omitted  by  the'  copyist  as  in  Ps.  xlvL  at  the  close  of  the  first 
strophe, 

®  "ly  IDTl.     The  archaic  ending  for  the  sake  of  the  rhythm. 

4  mn  for  the  usual  nn  tending   to  Aramaism.     The  construct 

may  mean  thousands  of  mountains,  or  mountains  where  thousands 
are,  as  in  margin  of  R.V. 

^  '^"[^  fT-  Comp.  Ixxx.  14,  where  T''T  is  used  in  the  same  sense 
for  full- breasted  animals.  These  are  the  only  two  passages  where 
it  is  so  used.     Isa.  Ixvi.  11  uses  the  word  for  the  breast  of  women. 

*  T\^hty\  h2r\  as  in  Ps.  xxiv.  1. 


JEREMIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORARIES.  239 

Seeing  that  thou  hatest  instruction,  thou  hast  cast  my  words  behind 

thee, 
When  thou  sawest  a  thief,  thou  didst  run  with  him,  and  thy  portion 

was  with  adulterers ; 
Thy  mouth  thou  hast  put  forth  to  evil,  and  thy  tongue  frameth  ^ 

deceit ; 
Thou    sittest    down,   against  thy  brother  speaketh,   against    thy 

mother's  son  givest  a  thrust. 
These  hast  thou  done,  and  I  have  kept  silence,^  thou  thoughtest 

that  I  am  altogether  ^  such  an  one  as  thyself ; 
I  will  reprove  thee,  and  I  will  set  it  in  order  before  thine  eyes. 

Now  consider  this. 
Ohj  forgetters  of  God,  lest  I  tear  thee  in  pieces,  and  there  he  none  to 

deliver,  offer  a  thank-ofering, 
Should   he  glorify  me,  and  prepare  his  way^  I  wUl  show  him  the 

salvation  of  GodJ  "  * 


Jeremiah. 

Jeremiali  is  the  second  great  prophet  of  the  canon. 
He  was  consecrated  from  the  womb  to  the  sad  work  of 
blasting  the  false  hopes  of  his  people,  and  of  tasting 
with  them  the  bitterness  of  their  anguish.^ 

Jeremiah  is  pre-eminently  the  prophet  of  sorrow.  It 
was  a  mournful  task  that  was  imposed  upon  him,  with 
iron  will  and  bleeding  heart  to  become  the  constant 
bearer  of  evil  tidings  to  a  perverse  generation  sinking 
ever  deeper  and  deeper  into  ruin.  Jahveh  made  him 
a  strong   city,  an   iron  pillar   and  brazen  walls  against 

^  T'DVn  only  here  in  Hiphil.  It  is  found  in  Niph.  Num.  xxv. 
3,  5,  Ps.  cvi.  28  ;  and  in  Pual,  2  Sam.  xx.  8.  It  is  probably  as 
Gesenius  renders,  hind,  fasten  in  Kal,  and  construct,  frame  in  Hiph. 

^  TlCinni.  The  1  conjunctive  co-ordinates  in  order  to  the 
emphatic  contrast  of  the  action  of  God  with  the  acts  of  the  wicked. 

^  n\"li<  nvn.  The  infin.  construct  is  used  for  infin.  absokite  ;  an 
unusual  combination.  In  Isaiah  and  later  writers  the  infin.  abs. 
is  used  for  the  construct,  but  not  the  reverse.  It  shows  that 
the  distinction  is  passing  out  of  use.    In  Aramaic  it  is  lost  altogether. 

*  These  lines  are  wrongly  pointed  by  the  Massoretes.  We  have 
here  a  refrain  like  the  refrain  of  the  second  strophe. 

«  Jer.  i.  4r-lO. 


240  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

the  whole  land,  kings  and  princes,  priests  and  people ;  ^ 
and  though  they  fought  against  him  and  persecuted  him 
with  cruelty  and  bitterness,  they  could  not  prevail 
acfainst  him,  for  Jahveh  was  with  him,  and  he  lived  to 
see  his  evil  tidings  fulfilled  on  the  land  and  people,  and 
to  accompany  the  last  remnant  in  their  flight  from  the 
devastated  city  and  land  to  Egypt.  His  own  experience 
is  expressed  in  the  words — 

"  Oh  that  my  head  were  waters,  and  mine  eyes  a  fountain  of  tears, 
That  I  might  weep  day  and  night  for  the  slain  of  the  daughter  of 

my  people  ! 
Oh  that  I  had  in  the  wilderness  a  lodging-place  of  wayfaring  men, 

that  I  might  leave  my  people, 
That  I  might  go  from  them,  for  they  are  all  adulterers,  an  assembly 

of  treacherous  men."  — Jer.  ix.  1,  2. 

"Teremya's  literary  style  has  still  in  these  later 
times  much  that  is  peculiar  and  even  original,  great 
wealth  of  new  figures  with  great  delicacy  of  description, 
a  literary  facility  that  readily  adapts  itself  to  the  most 
different  subjects,  combined  with  graphic  transparency, 
and  with  all  this  an  unadorned  simplicity  which  is  very 
unlike  the  greater  artificiality  of  his  contemporary 
Habaqquq.  ]^ot  withstanding  all  this,  his  language 
already  bears  the  most  unmistakeable  marks  of  a  declining 
and  depressed  age :  it  no  longer  possesses  such  a  prompt 
and  firm  mastery  of  itself,  the  thoughts  crumble  under 
the  hand  of  the  speaker  ;  an  imposing  arrangement  and 
a  clearly  cut  conjunction  of  the  sentences  become  rare, 
each  thought  occurs  in  a  more  disconnected  and  detached 
manner,  is  often  di^awn  out  to  a  great  length,  while  it 
is  multiform  and  not  finely  articulated  like  a  living 
whole  ;  and  this  greater  disjointedness,  this  longer, 
slower  movement  becomes  most  perceptible  when  the 
larger  sections,  the  separate  wholes,  of  his  works  are 
i  Jer.  i  18,  19. 


JEREMIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORARIES.  241 

examined.  In  certain  passages  it  seems  as  if  the  author 
were  dimly  conscious  of  this  defect,  the  style  becoming 
suddenly  unusually  contracted,  compressed  and  terse ; 
but  this  artificial  terseness  is  not  continued  long."  ^ 

The  prophet  was  associated  with  Josiah  in  the  reforms 
that  were  conducted  on  the  basis  of  the  Deuteronomic 
code.  It  was  natural  therefore  that  he  should  be  greatly 
influenced  by  this  code,  and  that  his  entire  book  should 
be  coloured  by  its  language,  style,  and  doctrines,  and 
that  his  spirit  and  temper  should  be  greatly  under  its 
power.^ 

The  prophecies  of  Jeremiah  are  divided  into  three 
parts,  with  an  introductory  chapter  giving  the  prophet's 
call,  and  a  concluding  historical  chapter.  The  first  part 
is  a  collection  of  discourses  with  reference  to  Judah, 
accompanied  with  historical  material  (chaps,  ii.-xxiv.). 
The  second  part  is  a  collection  of  prophecies  of  judgment 
and  of  comfort  (chaps,  xxv.-xlv.).  The  third  part  is  a 
group  of  messages  to  the  nations  (chaps.  xlvi.-li.).^ 

In  Part  I.  we  have  two  Messianic  prophecies,  the  one 
relating  to  the  divine  advent  and  the  other  to  the 
Messianic  king. 

1  Ewald,  Prophets,  iii.  pp.  65,  66.  See  also  Graf,  Der  Prophet 
Jereinia,  p.  xxxii,  Leipzig  1862. 

^  Jeremiah  was  a  priest,  and  yet  he  shows  no  acquaintance  with 
the  priest's  code.  This  seems  to  imply  that  he  knew  it  not,  whether 
it  was  in  existence  or  not.  His  code  of  Mosaic  legislation  was  the 
Deuteronomic  code,  and  that  was  his  ideal  of  reform,  and  the  norm 
of  Israel's  transgression. 

^  In  the  LXX.  parts  ii.  and  iii.  are  transposed,  and  the  order  of 
the  messages  differs.  Moreover,  there  are  numerous  omissions  of 
greater  or  lesser  extent,  so  that  the  LXX.  is  only  seven-eighths  of 
the  Massoretic  text.  Graf  has  shown  that  these  omissions  are 
largely  in  the  omission  of  unnecessary  matter,  belonging  to  the 
diffuse  style  of  the  prophet,  and  are  due  to  his  tendency  to  repeat 
himself  ;  and  he  pronounces  a  very  unfavourable  judgment  against 
the  LXX.  version  of  our  pro]:)het  (see  his  Jeremiah,  p.  xli.  seq.). 
But  the  judgment  of  Ewald  and  other  critics  is  more  favourable  to 
the  LXX.  version      It  is  clear  fiom  the  Book  of  Jeremiah  itself 


242  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 


VI.    JEECTSALEM  THE  THEOXE  OF  JAHVEH. 

§  72.  Jahveh  the  Saviour  marries  Ms  exiled  people. 
Selecting  one  from  a  city  and  two  from  a  clan,  he  restores 
them  to  Zion,  setting  over  them  shepherds  after  his  oivn 
heart.  They  will  come  together  out  of  the  land  of  the 
north  unto  the  inheritance  of  their  fathers.  New  institutions 
will  he  estaUished.  Entire  Jerusalem  will  he  called  the 
throne  of  Jahveh,  and  all  nations  will  gather  to  it. 

"Turn,  turncoat  children/  is  the  utterance  of  Jahveh  ;  for  I  am 

lord  2  over  you  : 
And  I  will  take  you  one  ^  from  a  city,  and  two  from  a  clan,  and  bring 

you  to  Zion, 
And  give  you  shepherds  according  to  mine  heart,  and  they  will  feed 

you  with  knowledge  and  discretion. 
And  it  will  come  to  pass  when  ye  increase  and  become  fruitful  in 

the  land,  in  those  days,  is  the  utterance  of  Jahveh, 
They  will  not  say  any  more  :  the  ark  of  the  covenant  of  Jahveh,  and 

it  will  not  again  come  to  mind. 
And  they  will  not  remember  it,  and  they  will  not  visit  it,  and  it 

will  not  be  made  any  more. 
At  that  time  they  will  call  Jerusalem  the  throne  of  Jahveh. 
And  all  nations  will  assemble  *  themselves  unto  it,  to  the  name  of 

Jahveh,  at  Jerusalem. 

that  several  editions  of  his  prophecies  were  issued  from  time  to 
time  under  his  direction,  and  by  his  pupil  Baruch.  It  seems  alto- 
gether likely  that  the  differences  between  the  LXX.  and  the 
Massoretic  text  rest  upon  differences  in  early  Hebrew  MSS. 
The  whole  subject  needs  a  fresh  and  thorough  investigation.  It 
seems  to  me  that  Ewald  is  correct  in  his  opinion  that  the  LXX. 
version  is  correct  in  its  arrangement  of  parts  ii.  and  iii. — See  Ewald, 
Prophets,  iii.  p.  83. 

^  D^331C  =  part  Polel,  with  D  omitted,  as  in  Hos.  i.  6,  means 
turners,  turncoats,  apostates  ;   referring  to  Israel  and  Judah. 

^  ^n^yi  mingles  the  idea  of  lord  and  husband.  The  3  strengthens 
the  meaning  of  lordship.  The  perfect  is  the  perfect  of  the  state. 
Ewald  rendei^  Schutzherr. 

^  "int^.  The  selection  is  complete,  wherever  one  or  two  could  be 
found.  None  will  be  overlooked.  It  does  not  indicate  the  small 
number  of  redeemed,  but  rather  that  the  number  is  complete. 

"*  lipi  is  Niph.  perf.  of  nip.    It  is  only  found  here  and  in  Gen.  i.  7. 


JEREMIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORARIES.  243 

And  they  will  not  go  any  more  after  the  stubbornness  ^  of  their 

evil  heart. 
In  those  days  the  house  of  Judah  will  go  with  the  house  of  Israel, 
And  they  will  come  together  out  of  the  land  of  the  north  *  unto  the 

land  that  I  gave  their  fathers  for  an  inheritance." 

— Jer.  iii.  14-18. 

This  prophecy  dates  from  the  reign  of  Josiah.  It  has 
the  same  essential  idea  that  we  have  found  in  Hosea  ^  of 
the  marriage  relation  between  Israel  and  Jahveh.  The 
people  have  been  dispersed,  and  are  widely  scattered  in 
their  exile,  but  they  will  not  be  overlooked.  Every  one 
will  be  remembered.  Every  city  and  tribe  will  be  visited, 
and  even  where  there  may  be  but  one  or  two  faithful 
children,  they  will  be  recovered,  and  all  will  be  brought 
back  to  the  inheritance  of  their  fathers.  This  reminds 
us  of  the  prediction  of  Amos,  that  in  the  sifting  of  Israel 
among  the  nations  not  a  grain  would  be  lost.*  Israel 
and  Judah  will  again  be  united.  But  the  most  significant 
feature  of  this  prediction  is  its  transformation  of  the 
institutions  of  the  old  covenant.  The  ark  of  the  covenant 
was  the  most  sacred  of  all  the  institutions  of  Israel.  It 
was  the  chest  that  contained  the  tables  of  the  covenant. 
Upon  it  was  the  cherubic  throne,  the  place  where  God  was 
enthroned  in  theophanic  glory.  It  was  placed  in  the 
throne-room  of  the  temple,  the  centre  and  source  of  every 
blessing  to  Israel.  And  yet  in  the  new  dispensation 
that  Jeremiah  predicts,  after  the  restoration  from  exile, 
the  ark  of  the  covenant  will  cease  to  exist.  The  glories 
of  the  ancient  ark  of  the  covenant  will  be  forgotten.  No 
other  ark  will  be  made  to  take  its  place.  For  something 
higher  and  better  will  be  given.     The  entire  city  of  the 

^  ni"»"lK^  =  hardness,  stubbornness  ;  a  Deuteronomic  expression. 

2  Ewald  inserts  niDlXn  ^2D1  after  the  LXX.  This  would  force 
us  to  break  the  line  into  two  lines,  and  make  them  shorter  than  the 
rhythm  seems  to  require. 

»  Hos.  ii.    Seep.  172.  *  Amos  ix.  9.    See  p.  161. 


244  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

new  Jerusalem  will  assume  its  place.  The  whole  city 
will  be  the  throne  of  Jahveh.  His  theophanic  glory 
will  envelope  it,  and  occupy  all  its  streets  and  houses. 
The  whole  city  will  be  as  holy  as  was  the  most 
sacred  part  of  the  temple,  and  its  inhabitants  will  enjoy 
the  privileges  of  its  priesthood.  The  prophet  doubtless 
has  the  pillar  of  cloud  and  fire  in  mind,  and  his  predic- 
tion is  an  advance  in  the  line  of  Isaiah.-^ 


VII.    THE  EIGHTEOUS  BRANCH. 

§  73.  Jeremiah  describes  tJie  Messiah  as  the  righteous 
hranch.  The  name  "  Jahveh  is  our  righteousness  "  is  given 
to  him  and  to  the  New  Jerusalem.  The  exodus  from  Egypt 
will  no  more  he  remembered  because  of  the  greater  exodus 
from  all  countries  of  the  dispersion  and  the  restoration  to 
tlie  holy  land.  The  Bavidic  monarchy  and  the  Zevitical 
Ijriestliood  vnll  he  everlastiyig. 

The  Massoretic  text  gives  two  passages,  the  one  from 
part  first  of  the  collection  (xxiii.  5-7),  and  the  other 
from  part  second  (xxxiii.  14-22).  These  are  essentially 
the  same,  and  yet  they  differ  in  certain  important 
particulars,  showing  that  the  second  passage  is  an  enlarge- 
ment and  an  improvement  upon  the  first.  The  second 
passage  is  not  found  in  the  LXX.  version.  It  was  not  in 
the  MSS.  used  by  the  Greek  translator,  but  there  are  no 
sufficient  reasons  for  doubting  its  genuineness.  We  shall 
place  them  side  by  side,  that  the  points  of  resemblance 
and  difference  may  be  manifest. 

"  Lo,  days  are  coming,  is  the  "  Lo,  days  are  coming,  is  the  utter- 
utterance  of  Jahveh,  when  ance  of  Jahveh,  when  I  will  accom- 
I  will  raise  up  for  David  a     plish  the  good  word  ^  which  I  have 


1  Isa.  iv.  5,  6.     See  p.  194. 

^  31Dn  "13"in.    This  seems  to  refer  to  the  previous  prediction,  xxiii 
5,  6,  and  to  show  that  we  have  here  a  new  edition  of  it. 


JEREMIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORARIES. 


245 


righteous  Branch,^  and  he  will 
reign  king,  and  prosper  and 
do  justice  and  righteousness 
in  the  earth. 

In  his  days  Judah  will  be 
saved,  and  Israel  will  dwell  in 
confidence:  and  thisishisname 
which  they  will  call  him,^ 
Jahveh  is  our  righteousness. 


Therefore,  behold,  days  are 
coming,  is  the  utterance  of 
Jahveh,  when  they  will  not 
say  any  more,  as  Jahveh 
liveth  who  brought  up  the 
children  of  Israel  from  the 
land  of  Egypt ;  but  as  Jahveh 
liveth  who  led  up  and  who 
brought  the  seed  of  the  house 
of  Israel  from  the  land  of  the 


spoken  unto  the  house  of  Israel  and 
concerning  the  house  of  Judah.  In 
those  days  and  at  that  time,  I  will 
cause  to  sprout  for  David  a  righteous 
Branch  ;  ^  and  he  will  do  justice  and 
righteousness  in  the  earth.  In  those 
days  Judah  will  be  saved,  and 
Jerusalem  will  dwell  in  confidence  ; 
and  this  is  what  they  will  call  her,^ 
Jahveh  is  our  righteousness. 

For  thus  saith  Jahveh,  there  will 
not  be  cut  off  of  David  a  man  sitting 
upon  the  throne  of  the  house  of 
Israel  ;  or  of  the  Levitical  priests 
there  will  not  be  cut  oif  a  man  from 
before  me,  ofiering  whole  burnt- 
offerings  and  burning  the  incense  of 
vegetable  offerings  and  making  peace 
offerings  always. 

And  the  word  of  Jahveh  came 
unto  Jeremiah,  saying.  Thus  saith 
Jahveh,  If  thou  canst  break  my 
covenant  with  the  day  and  my  cove- 
nant with  the  night  that  there  be  no 
day  or  night  in  their  season,  then 
also  my  covenant  with  David  my 
servant  might  be  broken  that  there 
should  be  no  son  for  him,  reigning 
on  his  throne ;  and  with  the  Levitical 


^  r\pn  riDV  of  xxxiii.  15  is  but  a  slight  variation  of  the  p^Ti  HD^ 
of  xxiii.  5,  the  construct  relation  being  employed  instead  of  the 
adjective.     The  term  is  similar  to  the  "ion  and  iVJ  of  Isa.  xi.  1. 

"  "15<ip''  of  xxiii.  6  has  an  indefinite  subject  =  they  will  call  him. 
The  nominal  suffix  is  used  instead  of  the  proper  verbal  suffix  "^"^T". 
It  is  possible  that  it  should  be  pointed  as  3  pi.  without  suffix  •iS"ip\ 
with  the  object,  understood.  This  would  bring  the  passage  into 
closer  relations  to  n^  N"lp''  of  xxxiii.  16,  where  the  suffix  certainly 
refers  to  Jerusalem.  Ewald  thinks  that  the  name  is  given  in  xxiii.  6 
to  the  people,  and  would  point  ^^Ijpl'  as  Niphal.  In  Ex.  xvii.  15 
Moses  called  the  name  of  an  altar  he  erected  to  Jahveh  ^S?  •Iin"'  = 
Jahveh  is  my  banner. 


246  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

north,  and  from  all  lands  priests,  my  ministers.  In  that  the 
whither  I  hav%  dispersed  host  of  heaven  cannot  be  numbered 
them  ;  and  they  will  dwell  and  the  sand  of  the  sea  cannot  be 
upon  their  own  land." — Jer.  measured,  so  will  I  increase  the  seed 
xxiii.  5-8.  of  David  my  servant,  and  the  Levites 

who  minister  to  me." — Jer.   xxxiii. 

14-22. 

In  these  passages  Jeremiah  takes  up  the  prediction  of 
Isaiah  with  reference  to  the  Messianic  king  and  clothes 
it  with  new  ideas.^  The  name  "  Jahveh  is  our  righteous- 
ness "  reminds  us  of  "  'El  is  with  us "  of  Isaiah.  The 
Messianic  king  bears  this  name  as  the  sacred  pledge  to 
Israel  that  their  righteousness  was  to  be  found  in  Jahveh. 
Accordingly,  in  the  parallel  passage,  the  same  name  is 
given  to  the  new  Jerusalem,  because  it  is  to  be  the 
throne  of  Jahveh.  The  reign  of  Jahveh  and  the  king  of 
David's  line  is  to  be  in  the  interests  of  righteousness. 
The  deliverance  from  the  lands  of  the  dispersion  will  so 
transcend  the  exodus  from  Egypt  that  the  latter  will 
pass  out  of  remembrance  of  the  people.  The  second 
passage  enlarges  the  prediction  by  embracing  several 
ancient  covenants,  the  covenant  with  Xoah  as  to  the 
perpetuity  of  the  seasons,  the  covenant  with  Abraham  as 
to  the  numbers  of  his  seed,  the  covenant  with  Phinehas 
as  to  the  perpetuity  of  the  priesthood,  and  the  covenant 
with  David  as  to  the  everlasting  reign  of  his  seed.^  All 
these  covenants  are  alike  inviolable,  and  are  sure  of 
fulfilment  notwithstanding  the  impending  destruction  of 
Jerusalem  and  dispersion  of  the  nation, 

VIII.    THE  KESTORATION  AND  THE  NEW  COVENANT. 

§  74.  Rachel  weeping  for  her  children  is  comforted  hy  the 
^promise  that  they  unll  return  from  the  land  of  the  enemy. 

*  Isa.  vii.  14,  xi.  2  seq.     See  pp.  195-206. 

«  See  pp.  78,  84,  109,  126.  . 


JEREMIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORARIES.  247 

JaJiveli  loves  them  with  an  everlasting  love,  and  after  He 
has  chastised  them  for  their  sins  and  hrought  thein  to  repent- 
ance He  will  restore  them.  A  very  great  multitude  of  all 
classes  and  conditions  will  ixturn  and  will  serve  Jahveh 
their  God  and  David  their  king.  Jahveh  ivill  plant  them 
in  their  own  land,  and  it  will  become  V)onderfully  fruit- 
ful, and  the  people  will  rejoice  with  great  festivity.  A  new 
covenant  will  he  constituted,  the  divine  instruction  heing 
written  upon  the  heart  so  that  all  will  know  Jahveh. 
Jerusalem  will  he  rehuilt,  and  with  all  its  suburbs  it  will 
become  holy  to  Jahveh. 

Towards  the  close  of  his  prophetic  activity  Jeremiah 
issued  a  little  book  of  comfort,  which  embraces  the  chief 
features  of  the  Messianic  idea  that  had  been  communi- 
cated to  him  by  the  divine  Spirit.  This  little  book  is  in 
the  spirit  of  Hos.  i-iii.  It  is  at  the  basis  of  the  great 
book  of  comfort,  Isa.  xl.-lxvi.  It  is  a  poem  of  the 
hexameter  movement,  and  is  throughout  a  piece  of  rare 
beauty  and  power. 

I.  "  Verily,  thus  said  Jahveh  : 

Hark  !  we  hear  a  trembling — fear,  and  there  is  no  peace. 
Ask  ye  now,  and  see  whether  a  male  is  about  to  bear  a  child  : 
Why  do  I  see  every  man  with  his  hands  on  his  loins,  as  a 

woman  in  travail, 
And  all  faces  are  turned  into  paleness  ? 
Woe  !  for  that  day  is  greater  than  any  like  it : 
And   it  is  a  time  of  distress  to  Jacob ;  yet  will  he  be  saved 

from  it. 
And  it  will  come  to  pass  in  that  day,  is  the  utterance  of  Jahveh 

Sabaoth, 
I  will  break  his  yoke  from  off  thy  neck,  and  thy  bands  tear  off;^ 
And  foreigners  will  no  more  enslave  them  ;  but  they  will  serve 

Jahveh  their  God,^ 


^  Comp.  Isa.  X.  27. 


We  disregard  the  accents  and  follow  the  rhythm  in  attaching 


this  clause  to  this  Hne. 


248  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

And  David  their  king  whom  I  will  raise  up  for  them. 
Therefore,  0  thou  my  servant  Jacob,  fear  not,  is  the  utterance 

of  Jahveh,  and  be  not  terrified,  Israel. 
For,  lo,  I  am  about  to  save  thee  from  afar,  and  thy  seed  from 

the  land  of  their  captivity. 
And  Jacob  will  return,  and  be  at  rest,  and  be  quiet,  and  there 

will  be  none  to  make  him  afraid  ; 
For  T  will  be  with  thee,  is  the  utterance  of  Jahveh,  to  save  thee 

when  I  make  a  full  end,^ 
Among  all  nations  whither  I  shall  have  dispersed  thee,  only 

of  thee  I  w411  not  make  a  full  end,^ 
But  I  will  chastise   thee  with  judgment,  and  not  altogether 

acquit  thee. 

II.   Verily,  thus  saitk  Jahveh : 

Thy  bruise  is  ill,  thy  wound  is  incurable,  there  is  none  to 

espouse  thy  cause. 
For  dressing  ^  the  wound,  medicines,  bandage  thou  hast  none, 

all  thy  lovers  have  forgotten  thee  ; 
They  seek  thee  not  ;  for  I  have  wounded  thee  with  the  wound 

of  an  enemy ; 
With  the  chastisement  of  a  cruel  one   on    account    of    the 

multitude  of  thine  iniquities,  because  thy  sins  are  strong 

in  number. 
[Why  criest  thou  because  of  thy  bruise  that  thy  sorrow  is  ill  1 
Because  of  the  multitude  of  thine  iniquities,  because  thy  sins 

are  strong  in  number  I  have  done  these  things  to  thee.^] 
Therefore  all  who  devour  thee  will  be  devoured,  and  all  thine 

adversaries,  all  of  them,  will  go  into  captivity, 


^  n^3  as  in  Zeph,  i.  18. 

2  We  make  both  lines  close  with  this  word  to  bring  out  the 
antithesis  and  the  parallelism.  The  rhythm  favours  it,  aud  we  go 
against  the  Massoretic  points. 

^  11TD7  =  for  dressing,  binding  up  the  wound.  We  agree  with 
Graf  in  attaching  this  word  to  the  next  clause  with  niJ^Dlj  but  we 
cann^-'t  agree  with  him  in  his  rendering,  wound. 

^  The  LXX.  omits  this  and  the  previous  line.  They  are  a  repeti- 
tion of  the  previous  context  in  the  form  of  a  question.  Some  think 
that  it  belongs  to  the  diffuse  style  of  the  prophet,  and  that  it  has 
been  omitted  by  the  LXX.  on  that  account.  Possibly  it  was  not  in 
the  original  text  at  all  The  strophe  becomes  more  symmetrical 
without  it. 


JEREMIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORAEIES.  249 

And  thy  spoilers  will  become  a  spoil,  and  all  who  prey  on  thee 

will  I  give  for  a  prey. 
For  I  will  put  a  bandage  upon  thee,  and  from  thy  wounds  will  I 

heal  thee,  is  the  utterance  of  Jahveh. 
For  an  outcast  they  call  thee,  '  it  is  Zion  who  has  no  one  seeking  her.' 
Thus  saith  Jahveh : 
Lo,  I  am  about  to  restore  the  prosperity  of  the  tents  of  Jacob, 

and  upon  his  tabernacles  I  will  have  compassion ; 
And  the  city  will  be  built  upon  her  hill,i  ^nd  the  palace  according 

to  its  plan  will  abide. 
And   praise  will  go  forth  from   them,  and   the  sound  of  merry- 
makers : 
And  I  will  multiply  them,  and  they  will  not  be  few  ;  and  I  will 

glorify  them,  and  they  will  not  be  small  in  number. 
And  their  children  will  be  as  aforetime,  and  their  congregation  will 

be  established  before  me. 
And  I  will  visit  upon  all  their  oppressors,  and  their  majestic  one 

will  come  forth  from  themselves. 
And  their  ruler  from  their  midst  will  go  forth,  and  I  will  bring 

him  near,  and  he  will  approach  unto  me. 
For  who  is  this  who  hath  pledged  his  heart  to  approach  unto  me  1  is 

the  utterance  of  Jahveh. 
[And  ye  will  become  to  me  a  people,  and  I  will  become  to  you  a 

God.] 
Lo,  a  storm  from  Jahveh,  hot  anger  is  gone  forth ; 
A  storm  sweeping  all  before  it,  upon  the  head  of  tjie  wicked  it 

whirls, 
The  heat  of  the  anger  of  Jahveh  will  not  turn  until  he  has  done  it^ 

and  until  he  has  accomplished  the  plans  of  his  heart. 
In  the  last  day  ye  will  understand  it,^ 


1  n^n  is  fem.  of  ^n,  hill,  like  the  corresponding  word  in  Arabic. 

See  Josh.  xi.  13  ;  Deut.  xiii.  17. 

2  Graf  looks  upon  vers.  23,  24  with  suspicion,  because  they  are  an 
exact  copy  of  xxiii.  19,  20  with  the  exception  of  the  use  of  lilJno 
for  ^binnD,  the  insertion  of  |nn,  and  the  omission  of  nm.  It  is  then 
necessary  to  strike  out  the  last  line  of  ver.  22,  for  it  is  impossible 
that  it  should  be  followed  immediately  by  xxxi.  1,  and  the  line  is  a 
favourite  expression  constantly  recurring  in  the  prophet.  What- 
ever view  we  may  take  of  vers.  23,  24,  the  previous  line  is  suspicious. 
It  is  usual  to  make  the  second  strophe  begin  with  ver.  23,  but  I 
cannot  see  the  propriety  of  it.     The  strophes  are  indicated  by  nD("'j) 


250  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

At  that  time,  is  the  utterance  of  Jahveh, 

I  will  become  God  to  all  the  clans  of  Israel,  and  they  will 

become  to  me  a  people. 
Thus  saith  Jahveh : 

A  people,  survivors  of  the  sword,  found  grace  in  the  wilder- 
ness. 
He  went  on  that  he  might  give  Israel  rest,  from  afar  Jahveh 

appeared  unto  me.^ 
With  an  everlasting  love  I  loved  thee  ;  therefore  I  drew 

thee  in  mercy. 
Again  will  I  build  thee,  and  thou  wilt  be  built,  virgin  of 

Israel ; 
Again  thou  wilt  put  on  thy  tabrets,  and  go  forth  in  the  dance 

of  merry-makers. 
Again  thou  wilt  plant  vineyards  in  the  mountain  of  Samaria, 

when  planters  have  planted  they  will  praise.^ 
For  there  is  a  day  when  the  watchmen  in  Mount  Zion  will 

proclaim, 
*  Arise,  and  let  us  go  up  to  Zion,  unto  Jahveh  our  God.' 

III.    Verily,  thus  saith  Jahveh: 

Sing  for  Jacob  with  gladness,  and  shout  for  the  chief  of  the 

nations :  — let  it  be  heard  ; 
Praise  and  say,  '  Jahveh  hath  saved  his  people,*  the  remnant 

of  Israel ; ' 
Lo,  I  am  about  to  bring  them  from  the  land  of  the  north,  and 

gather  them  from  the  sides  of  the  earth, 
Among  them  the  blind  and  the  lame,  the  woman  with  child 

and  her  that  travaileth  with  child  together  : 


1  Ewald  follows  the  LXX.  and  reads  1^,  to  him.  This  is  better 
suited  to  the  context ;  but  the  more  difficult  reading  is  to  be  pre- 
ferred, with  Graf  and  most  others. 

2  The  LXX.  renders  uiutauTo  and  pointed    ^i)^n.     This  is  better 

than   i^7\  of  the  Palestinian  and  Babylonian  codices,  which  means, 

make  common  or  profane.     The  E.V.  "  enjoy  the  fruit  thereof  "  is  a 
modification  of  the  same  idea. 

*  V^^n  is  pointed  by  the  Massoretic  text  as  an  imperative.  It 
is  so  taken  by  the  Vulgate,  R.V.,  Ewald,  Graf,  et  al.  But  the  LXX. 
renders  huaiv  as  if  it  were  a  perfect.  This  is  best  suited  to  the 
context. 


JEREMIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORARIES.  251 

A  great  congregation  will  return  hither;  with  weeping  will 

they  come  and  with  supplication  ^ 
I  will  lead  them,  I  will  bring  them  unto  rivers  of  water,  in  a 

straight  way,  wherein  they  will  not  stumble. 
For  I  have  become  a  father  to  Israel,  and  Ephraim  is  my 

first-born. 
Hear  the  word  of  Jahveh,  ye  nations,  and  declare  it  in  coasts 

afar  off  : 
Say,  *  the  scatterer  of  Israel  will  gather  him,  and  keep  him  as  a 

shepherd  doth  his  flock.' 
For  Jahveh  has  ransomed  Jacob,  and  redeemed  him  from  the 

hand  of  a  stronger  tlian  he. 
And  they  will  come  and  sing  in  the  height  of  Zion,  and  flow 

unto  the  goodness  of  Jahveh, 
Unto  the  corn  and  unto  the  new  wine,  and  unto  the  new  oil 

and  unto  the  young  of  the  flock  and  the  herd: 
And  their  soul  will  become  as  a  watered  garden,  and  they  will 

not  sorrow  any  more  at  all. 
Then  the  virgin  will  rejoice  in  the  dance,  and  the  young  men 

and  old  men  together  : 
And  I  will  change  their  mourning  into  joy,  and  I  will  com- 
fort them  and  cause  them  to  rejoice  more   than  their 

sorrow. 
And  I  will  refresh  the  soul  of  the  priests  with  fatness,  and  my 

people  will  be  satisfied  with  my  goodness,  Ls  the  utterance 

of  Jahveh. 

IV.  Thus  saith  Jahveh : 

Hark,  in  Eamah  lamentation  is  heard,  bitter  weeping, 

Rachel  is  weeping  for  her  sons  ;  she  doth  refuse  to  be  com- 
forted for  her  children,  because  they  are  not. 

Thus  saith  Jahveh  : 

Refrain  thy  voice  from  weeping,  and  thine  eyes  from  tears ; 

For  there  is  hire  for  thy  work,  is  the  utterance  of  Jahveh  ; 
and  they  will  return  from  the  land  of  the  enemy. 

And  there  is  hope  for  thy  latter  end,  is  the  utterance  of 
Jahveh  ;  and  thy  sons  will  return  to  their  boundary. 

I  distinctly  heard  Ephraim  bemoaning  himself, 


^  It  is  better  to  disregard  the  accents,  with  Hitzig  and  Graf,  and 
connect  D''J"lJnn2  with  the  previous  context  and  make  the  next  line 
begin  with  D^^mX- 


252  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

'  Thou  hast  chastised  me,  and  I  was  chastised  as  an  untamed 
calf  : 

Eestore  me  that  I  may  return  ;  for  thou  art  Jahveh  my  God. 

For  after  my  turning  away,  I  was  sorry  ;  and  after  I  was 
taught,  I  smote  upon  my  thigh  ; 

I  was  ashamed,  and  I  was  also  confounded  ;  for  I  bore  the 
reproach  of  my  youth.' 

Is  Ephraim  a  precious  son  unto  me,  or  a  child  of  delights  : 

That  as  often  as  I  speak  with  him  I  earnestly  remember  him 
again  ? 

Therefore  my  bowels  moan  for  him  ;  I  will  have  great  com- 
passion on  him,  is  the  utterance  of  Jahveh. 

Set  thee  up  waymarks,  set  thee  up  pillars,^ 

Set  thy  heai-t  to  the  highway,  the  way  thou  hast  gone.^ 

Return,  O  virgin  of  Israel,  return  hither  ^  unto  thy  cities. 

How  long  wilt  thou  go  round  about,^  thou  turncoat  daughter  ? 

For  Jahveh  hath  created  a  new  thing  in  the  earth,  a  female  will 
encompass  a  male.* 

V.   Thus  saith  Jahveh  Sahaotk,  God  of  Israel : 

Again  will  they  say  this  thing  in  the  land  of  Judah  and  in  its 

cities,  when  I  restore  their  prosperity  : 
'  May  Jahveh  bless  thee,  habitation  of  righteousness,  mountain 

of  holiness. 
And  let  Judah  and  all  its  cities  dwell  together  therein— the 

husbandmen  and  those  who  tent  about  with  flocks  ; ' 
When  I  have  refreshed  the  weary  soul  and  every  sorrowful  soul 

I  have  filled  : 


^  D^'TllDn  is  only  found  here.  It  is  from  -inn,  like  mcn,  pillar  ; 
see  Song  iii.  6  ;  Joel  iii.  3. 

^  TlD^Jn.  This  Ktlhihh  is  supported  by  the  Vulgate.  But  the 
LXX.  is  with  the  Qeri  D^i^n,  and  this  is  rightly  followed  by  R.V. 

^  nps  =  rk^  1J?  =  hither.  It  can  hardly  agree  with  Dny  on 
account  of  the  failure  of  the  article. 

^  ppronnn  is  only  found  here  and  in  Song  v.  6.  pDil,  to  depart. 
The  Hitlipael  is  to  go  round  about. 

^  l^IDD  is  commonly  understood  in  the  sense  that  a  woman  would 
get  a  man  with  child.  But  this  has  nothing  to  recommend  it  in 
the  context.  The  LXX.  has  quite  a  different  reading,  which  lias 
little  to  commend  it,  Ewald  renders  "  turned  into  a  male  ;  "  and 
Blayney,  cause  to  turn  about,  put  to  flight ;  Orelli  renders  encom- 
pass, with  the  idea  of  guarding,  protecting,  as  in  Deut.  xxxii.  10  ; 
Ps.  xxxii.  10.     This  is  best. 


JEREMIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORARIES.  253 

'  On  this  account  I  waked  and  saw,  and  my  sleep  was  sweet  to  me.'  ^ 

Lo,  the  days  are  coming,  is  the  utterance  of  Jahveh, 

When  I  will  sow  the  house  of  Israel  and  the  house  of  Judah  with 

the  seed  of  man  and  the  seed  of  cattle. 
And  it  will  come  to  pass,  according  as  I  watched  over  them  to  pluck 

up  and  to  break  down  and  to  overthrow,  and  to  destroy  and  to 

afflict ; 
So  will  I  watch  over  them  to  build  and  to  plant,  is  the  utterance 

of  Jahveh. 
In  those  days  they  will  no  more  say, 
'  The  fathers  have  eaten  sour  grapes,  and  the  children's  teeth  are  set 

on  edge  ; ' 
But  every  one  will  die  for  his  own  iniquity. 
All  men,  whosoever  eateth  the  sour  grapes,  his  teeth  will  be  set  on 

edge. 
Lo,  days  are  coming,  is  the  utterance  of  Jahveh, 
When  I  will  conclude  with  the  house  of  Israel,  and  with  the  house 

of  Judah,  a  new  covenant  ; 
Not  according  to  the  covenant  that  I  concluded  with  their  fathers 
In  the  day  of  my  strengthening  their  hand  to  bring  them  forth 

from  the  land  of  Egypt ; 
Which  covenant  with  me  they  did  break,  although  I  was  lord  over 

them,  is  the  utterance  of  Jahveh. 
For  this  is  the  covenant  that  I  will  conclude  with  the  house  of  Israel 

after  those  days,  is  the  utterance  of  Jahveh : 
I  do  put  my  instruction  within  them,  and  upon  their  heart  will  I 

write  it ; 


^  This  line  has  great  difficulty.  It  is  taken  by  some  as  the  words 
of  God  who  has  awaked  from  a  sleep,  which  is  conceived  as  lasting 
during  the  exile,  for  the  restoration  of  His  people.  But  God  could 
hardly  represent  Himself  as  sleeping,  however  appro]3riate  such  an 
idea  might  be  to  an  impatient  sufierer.  It  is  taken  by  others  as 
tlie  words  of  the  prophet,  who  has  given  this  prediction,  as  it  were 
in  a  sweet  dream  ;  but  njC^  is  hardly  the  state  of  ecstasy.  It  is 
better  to  regard  it  as  the  words  of  the  people.  Ewald  thinks  of  a 
quotation  from  a  familiar  song.  Graf  refers  to  Ps.  iii.  6  for  a  similar 
situation.  It  seems  to  me  that  it  is  best  to  take  the  line  as  the  words 
to  be  uttered  in  the  land  of  Israel  at  the  restoration.  There  are  two 
words,  the  first  uttered  when  "  I  restore  their  prosperity,"  embracing 
two  lines ;  the  second  uttered  "  when  I  have  refreshed  the  wearj' 
soul,  and  every  sorrowful  soul  have  filled,"  which  consists  of  one 
line.  This  refreshment  and  comfort  was  like  waking  from  a  sweet 
refreshing  sleep. 


254  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

And  I  will  become  a  God  for  them,  and  they  will  become  a 

people  for  me  ; 
And  they  will  not  teach  any  more,  each  his  friend,  and  each  his 

brother,  saying,  '  Know  Jahveh  ; ' 
For  all  of  them  will  know  me,  from  the  least  even  to  the  greatest 

of  them,  is  the  utterance  of  Jahveh. 
For  I  will  pardon  their  iniquity,  and  their  sins  I  will  not 

remember  any  more. 

VL  Thus  saith  Jahveh : 

Giver  of  the  sun  for  light  by  day,  the  ordinances  of  the  moon  and 

stars  for  light  by  night  ; 
Exciter  of  the  sea,  so  that  its  waves  moan,  Jahveh  Sabaoth  his 

name.^ 
If  these  ordinances  can  depart  from  before  me,  is  the  utterance 

of  Jahveh  ; 
Then  the  seed  of  Israel  may  cease  from  being  a  nation  before  me 

always. 
Thufi  saith  Jahveh : 
If  heaven  can  be  measured  above,  and  if  the  foundations  of  the 

earth  can  be  searched  beneath  ;  ^ 
I  also  may  reject  all  the  seed  of  Israel  for  all  that  they  have 

done,  is  the  utterance  of  Jahveh. 
Lo,  days  are  coming,^  is  the  utterance  of  Jahveh, 
When  the  city  will  be  built  to  Jahveh  from   the  tower  of 

Hananel  unto  the  corner  gate, 
And  a  measuring-line  will  go  out  over  against  it,*  over  the  hill 

Gareb,  and  it  will  go  round  about  to  Goath, 
And  the  whole  valley  of  corpses  and  ashes  and  aU  the  pools* 

unto  the  brook  Kedron, 

^  Isa.  li.  15  and  Job  xxvi.  12  have  essentially  the  same  words. 
There  is  a  borrowing  here.  Isaiah  and  Jeremiah  are  identical,  but 
Job  varies  the  construction  slightly. 

2  The  1  co-ordinate  should  be  noticed. 

^  The  Kethibh  omits  D^J<3  ;  but  it  is  rightly  given  in  the  Qeri^ 
LXX.  and  Vulgate. 

*  The  Kethibh  reads  nip  by  repetition  of  the  n  of  mon.  The  Qeri 
makes  the  correction.  The  St.  Petersburg  codex  agrees  with  the 
"Western  codices,  nip  may  be  the  correct  form  here  and  1  Kings 
vii.  23. 

^  The  Kethibh  has  mrD'lJJ'n,  the  LXX.  cc7up7if4,cj^,  so  St.  Peters- 
burg codex.     Ewald  follows  this  and  renders  pools,  on  the  ground 


JEEEMIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORARIES.  255 

Unto  the  corner  of  the  horse  gate  eastward,  Holy  to  Jahveh  will 

they  become, 
It  will  not  be  plucked  up,  and  will  not  be  torn  down  for  ever." 

— Jer.  xxx.-xxxi 

This  beautiful  and  touching  hexameter  is  Messianic 
throughout.  Its  great  theme  is  the  restoration  of  Israel 
from  exile  after  severe  discipline  by  Jahveh,  and  the 
establishment  of  a  new  covenant  and  new  institutions  in 
place  of  the  old. 

The  first  strophe  describes  the  great  distress  about  to 
come  on  Jerusalem  in  the  day  of  Jahveh's  visitation. 
Israel  will  go  into  captivity,  but  will  afterwards  be  re- 
stored. Other  nations  will  be  brought  to  complete  ruin, 
Israel  alone  will  be  chastised  on  account  of  sin,  but  will 
not  suffer  complete  ruin.  They  will  return  to  Jahveh  their 
God  and  David  their  king. 

In  the  second  strophe  Israel's  wound  is  described  as 
incurable,  his  sins  are  so  numerous  that  he  must  be 
severely  punished.  But  Jahveh  will  eventually  heal  him 
and  restore  him  to  Zion.  As  he  led  Israel  out  of  Egypt, 
so  He  has  an  everlasting  love  and  will  have  compassion 
on  him.  The  city  will  be  rebuilt  with  its  palaces,  the 
mountains  of  Samaria  will  be  planted  with  vineyards, 
Zion  will  again  be  the  resort  of  pilgrims,  and  great 
festivals  will  be  celebrated  with  music  and  dancing.  A 
king  from  their  own  midst  will  rule  over  them,  and  he 
will  have  special  access  to  Jahveh. 

The  third  strophe  omits  the  reference  to  chastisement, 

that  D'nC'  is  kindred  with  D'lT  ;  so  Eeinke.  Keil  refers  to  the 
cognate  Arabic  stem  with  the  meaning  cut,  separate,  and  renders, 
place  cut  off.  Streane  renders,  quarries  or  rugged  rocks.  The  Qeri 
has  niDIC'n,  fields.  This  is  followed  by  K.V.  and  A.V.  ;  so 
Nagelsbach.  The  Vulgate  reads  niD  tTW-,  regionem  mortis.  As 
Graf  states,  niDltiTI  is  the  more  difficult  reading,  and  no  one  would 
be  likely  to  change  an  easy  word  into  a  difficult  one.  But,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  change  of  the  letter  T  into  i  is  so  easy  that  it  is  not 
surprising,  and  if  once  made  it  would  be  perpetuated. 


256  MESSIANIC  PKOPHECY. 

except  so  far  as  this  is  involved  in  the  weeping  and 
siipi*lication  of  the  returning  penitents,  and  deals  entirely 
with  the  restoration.  There  is  great  rejoicing  over  Jacob, 
who  has  become  chief  of  the  nations.  A  great  multitude 
of  all  classes  and  conditions  return  to  Zion,  under  the 
leadership  of  Jahveh  their  tender  Father.  The  land 
regains  its  ancient  fertility,  and  there  is  universal  joy 
and  festivity. 

The  fourth  strophe  dramatically  represents  Eachel 
weeping  for  her  children,  who  have  gone  into  exile  or 
have  perished.  But  she  is  comforted  with  the  promise 
that  they  will  return  from  their  captivity.  Ephraim  is 
then  seen  confessing  his  sins  and  turnim?  to  Jahveh  with 
sincere  repentance.  Jahveh  turns  to  him  with  tender 
paternal  love,  and  recognises  him  as  His  own  precious 
son  in  whom  He  delights.  This  piece  is  in  the  manner 
of  Hos.  xi.^ 

The  fifth  strophe  represents  the  inhabitants  of  Judah 
congratulating  themselves  and  pronouncing  blessings  on 
the  holy  city.  Jahveh  will  more  than  counterbalance 
His  chastisements  by  blessings.  He  will  plant  them  in 
the  holy  land,  and  discriminate  between  the  righteous 
and  the  wicked.  A  new  covenant  will  be  made  in  place 
of  the  old.  Its  instruction  will  no  more  be  written  in 
books  or  on  tables  of  stone,  but  on  the  heart ;  and  there 
will  be  no  more  need  of  Levitical  teachers  or  prophets, 
for  all  will  know  Jahveh,  both  small  and  great ;  and  all 
sins  will  be  forgiven  and  forgotten.  In  this  prediction 
Jeremiah  rises  above  the  covenant  of  Hos.  ii.,^  and 
attains  a  conception  of  a  dispensation  so  new  that  the 
old  is  transformed  and  transfigured. 

The  prediction  reaches  its  culmination  in  the  last 
strophe.  The  divine  covenant  is  as  inviolable  as  the 
ordinances  of  heaven.  The  seed  of  Israel  can  never  be 
1  See  p.  174.  2  gee  p.  171. 


JEREMIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORARIES.  257 

entirely  rejected.  There  is  to  be  a  separation  of  the 
righteous  from  the  wicked.  Jerusalem  has  been  de- 
stroyed, but  it  is  to  be  rebuilt  in  greater  glory  than  ever. 
Its  entire  extent  is  to  spring  up  in  palaces.  Even  the 
suburbs,  the  hill  Gareb,  the  abode  of  lepers ;  and  the 
valley  of  Hinnom,  the  place  of  refuse,  of  corpses  and  of 
ashes,  are  to  be  cleansed,  and  Holiness  to  Jahvch  is  to  be 
the  title  of  the  whole.  The  same  inscription  that  was 
upon  the  tiara  of  the  high  priest  of  Israel  is  to  be  upon 
entire  Jerusalem.  This  is  in  accordance  with  the  repre- 
sentation of  chap,  iii.,  that  the  city  was  to  take  the  place 
of  the  ark  of  the  covenant.^  It  is  also  in  accordance 
with  chap,  xxxiii.,  that  it  was  to  bear  the  name,  "  Jahveh 
is  our  righteousness."  ^  The  new  Jerusalem  will  take  the 
place  of  the  most  sacred  things  of  the  old  covenant. 
As  its  inhabitants  are  to  have  the  divine  instruction 
written  on  their  hearts,  to  be  all  alike  acquainted  with 
Jahveh,  and  to  be  forgiven  their  sins,  and  thus  to 
be  holy  to  God ;  so  it  is  in  keeping  therewith  that 
the  city  should  be  altogether  holy  as  the  throne  of 
Jahveh,  whose  presence  and  glory  will  pervade  the  whole 
of  it. 

The  Messianic  idea  of  Jeremiah  transcends  all  previous 
predictions  in  its  representation  of  the  glories  of  the  new 
covenant.  The  Messianic  king  retires  into  the  back- 
ground of  the  representation,  for  it  is  Jahveh  Himself 
who  accomplishes  the  redemption  of  His  people.  This 
advent  is  conceived  on  the  basis  of  the  story  of  the 
exodus  and  the  covenant  of  Sinai.  But  Jahveh  will 
come  again  in  a  still  more  glorious  manner,  and  will 
deliver  His  people  in  a  more  marvellous  way,  and 
will  establish  a  new  covenant  that  will  transcend 
the  old  in  spirituality,  in  comprehensiveness,  and  in 
power. 

1  See  p.  242.  ^  See  p.  245. 

B 


258  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 


IX.    THE  IXYIOLABLE  COVENANT  WITH  DAVID. 

§  75.  Jahveh  is  faithful  to  His  covenant  with  David, 
notwithstanding  the  decline  of  the  dyna.sty.  His  mercies 
are  everUisting.  He  will  come  and  dwell  in  Zion  for  ever, 
'provide  abundantly  for  its  inhabitants,  and  cause  pro- 
sperity and  splendour  to  sprout  forth  for  David. 

Pss.  Ixxxix.  and  cxxxii.  are  so  similar  to  Jeremiah 
xxxiii.  in  their  conception  of  the  inviolability  of  the 
Davidic  covenant,  that  it  is  most  convenient  to  treat 
them  here,  whatever  their  date  may  be.  It  seems  pro- 
bable, however,  that  they  belong  to  the  last  days  of  the 
Jewish  monarchy  prior  to  the  exile.  They  differ  from 
the  predictions  of  Jeremiah  in  their  lyric  form,  and  in 
their  lamentation  and  prayer.  The  Messianic  king  is  in 
the  background,  as  in  Jeremiah.  The  only  hope  is  the 
advent  of  Jahveh  Himself. 

Ps.  Ixxxix.  is  composed  of  four  strophes  of  twelve 
tetrameter  lines  each,  enclosing  before  the  last  strophe 
seven  strophes  of  eight  trimeter  lines  each.  The  enclosed 
piece  gives  a  long  paraphrase  of  the  covenant  with  David, 
and  a  lamentation  over  its  apparent  failure.  The  intro- 
ductory strophes  set  forth  the  faithfulness  and  the  mercy 
of  God,  and  the  closing  strophe  is  a  plea  based  there- 
upon. 

I.  "  Of  the  mercies  of  Jahveh  will  I  sing  for  ever  : 

I  shall  make  known  thy  faithfulness  with  my  mouth  to  all 

generations. 
For  I  said,  mercy  will  be  built  up  for  ever ; 
It  is  the  heavens^  wherein  thou  wilt  establish  thy  faithfulness. 
*  I  made  a  covenant  with  my  chosen, 
I  sware  unto  David  my  servant ; 


^  D''Dt^*  at  the  beginning  of  the  line  is  very  emphatic.     It  is  a 
local  accusative  followed  by  a  relative  clause  defined  by  DHS- 


JEREMIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORAEIES.  259 

For  ever  I  will  establish  thy  seed, 

And  build  thy  throne  to  all  generations.' 

Then  let  ^  heaven  praise  thy  wonders,  Jahveh  ; 

yea,  in  the  assembly  of  the  holy  ones  thy  faithfulness. 

For  who  in  the  skies  can  be  compared  to  Jahveh  ? 

Can  be  like  unto  Jahveh  among  the  sons  of  the  gods  ?  * 

II.  'El  is  very  terrible  in  the  council  of  the  holy  ones, 
Inspiring  awe  above  all  round  about  him  is  Jahveh.* 
O  God  of  hosts,  who  is  like  thee  ? 
A  mighty  one,  O  Jah,*  and  thy  faithfulness  is  round  about 

thee. 
Thou  art  ruler  over  the  pride  of  the  sea : 
When  its  waves  rise  thou  stillest  them. 
Thou  hast  crushed  Rahab  as  a  slain  man  ; 
"With  an  arm  of  strength  thou  hast  scattered  thine  enemiea. 
Thine  is  heaven,  yea,  thine  is  earth  ; 
The  world  and  its  fulness  thou  hast  founded  them. 
The  north  and  south  thou  hast  created  them. 
Tabor  and  Hermon  rejoice  in  thy  name. 

III.  Thine  is  an  arm  with  might : 

Thy  hand  is  strong,  thy  right  hand  is  lifted  up. 

Righteousness  and  justice  are  the  foundation  of  thy  throne  : 

Mercy  and  faithfulness  go  to  meet  thy  face. 

Blessed  are  the  people  who  know  the  trumpet  sound. 

In  the  light  of  thy  face  they  walk,  Jahveh. 

In  thy  name  they  exult  all  the  day. 

And  in  thy  righteousness  are  they  exalted. 

1  IIVV  The  weak  1  shows  that  the  form  is  jussive.  It  is  an 
exhortation  to  praise  in  view  of  the  covenant  promise. 

^  wh^  ""^S,  can  hardly  be  "sons  of  the  mighty,"  as  the  R.V. 
The  margin  is  only  partly  correct  in  rendering  ■"  sons  of  God."  The 
conception  is  that  the  DvK  are  the  heavenly  intelligences  associated 
with  God,  the  assembly  of  angels,  p  is  a  noun  of  relation,  hke 
^^'\^''  ""33.  The  reference  then  is  to  the  heavenly  beings,  the  race 
of  angels.  It  is  inappropriate  to  refer  DvK  here  to  "  the  mighty," 
and  in  the  very  next  clause  translate  ^x  as  God. 

^  T\W  is  attached  to  the  next  verse  by  the  Massoretes.  We  restore 
it  to  its  line  in  accordance  with  the  parallelism  and  rhythm. 

*  n"*  pon  should  be  joined  to  the  following  context.  The 
Massoretic  points  are  to  be  disregarded. 


260  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

For  thou  art  the  glory  of  their  strength 
In  thy  favour  thou  wilt  exalt  ^  our  horn 
For  our  shield  belongeth  unto  Jahveh  ; 
And  our  king  to  the  Holy  One  of  Israel 

TV.  Then  thou  didst  speak  in  a  vision 
To  thy  favoured  ones,^  and  didst  say, 
*  I  have  laid  help  upon  a  hero  ; 
I  have  exalted  one  chosen  out  of  the  people. 
I  have  found  David  my  servant ; 
With  my  holy  oil  I  have  anointed  him, 
"With  whom  my  hand  will  be  established  j 
Yea,  mine  arm  will  strengthen  him. 

V.  The  enemy  will  not  do  him  violence ; 

And  the  iniquitous  fellow  will  not  afflict  him ; 

I  will  beat  down  his  adversaries  before  him. 

And  those  hating  him  I  will  smite. 

And  my  faithfulness  and  mercy  will  be  with  him  ; 

And  in  my  name  will  his  horn  be  exalted. 

And  I  will  put  his  hand  on  the  sea, 

And  his  right  hand  on  the  streams. 

VL  He  will  call  me  "  My  father, 

Thou  ^  art  my  '£Jl  and  the  rock  of  my  salvation.* 

Yea,  I  will  make  him  my  first-born, 

'  Ely  on  *  to  the  kings  of  the  earth. 

My  mercy  will  I  keep  for  him  for  ever, 

And  my  covenant  will  be  confirmed  for  him. 

And  I  will  establish  his  seed  for  ever. 

And  his  throne  as  the  days  of  heaven. 

^  D"'"in  of  the  Eethihh  and  Vulgate  is  to  be  preferred  to  the  Qert 

Di-in. 

2  The  plural  is  best  sustained  by  MSS.  and  Versions.  But  the 
context  is  strongly  in  favour  of  the  singular.  The  plural  is  the 
more  difficult  reading.     The  weight  of  evidence  is  in  its  fas"our. 

^  nnx  is  attached  by  the  Massoretic  accents  to  '•^x.  It  seems  to 
be  better  to  attach  it  to  'f^^. 

*  jvS'y  is  a  divine  name.  It  is  incorrect  to  render  it  "  highest.'* 
It  is  parallel  with  "my  first-born."  The  Messianic  king  is  made  an 
P"'Vy  to  the  kings  of  the  earth,  as  Moses  was  made  an  D\1^X  to 
Aaion,  Ex.  iv.  16, 


JEREMIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPOKAKIES.  261 

VII.  If  his  sons  forsake  my  instruction, 
And  walk  not  in  my  judgments  ; 
If  they  profane  my  statutes, 
And  keep  not  my  commandments  : 
Then  will  I  visit  their  transgressions  with  a  rod, 
And  their  iniquity  with  blows. 
But  my  mercy  I  will  not  break  off,^ 
And  will  not  be  false  to  my  faithfulness. 

VIII.   I  will  not  profane  my  covenant, 

And  the  issue  of  my  lips  I  will  not  alter. 

Once  I  sware  in  my  holiness  ; 

I  will  not  lie  unto  David  ; 

His  seed  will  endure  for  ever. 

And  his  throne  as  the  sun  before  me, 

As  the  moon  which  is  established  for  ever, 

And  a  witness  made  firm  in  the  sky.' 

IX.  But  thou  hast  cast  off  and  rejected, 

Hast  overflowed  with  anger  against  thine  anointed. 
Thou  hast  rejected  ^  the  covenant  of  thy  servant, 
Thou  hast  profaned  his  ornament  to  the  ground. 
Thou  hast  broken  down  all  his  hedges ; 
Thou  hast  made  his  strongholds  a  ruin, 
'*'  All  passing  by  do  spoil  him : 

He  has  become  a  reproach  to  his  neighbours. 

X.  Thou  hast  lifted  up  the  right  hand  of  his  adversaries. 
Thou  hast  made  all  his  enemies  to  rejoice, 
Yea,  thou  turnest  back  the  edge  ^  of  his  sword. 


1  T'Si^  is  well  sustained,  but  it  is  difficult  in  form  and  in  meaning. 
The  proper  form  of  "ns  would  be  IQi^.  We  might,  however,  think 
of  niD  =  -nD,  the  weak  stems  not  infrequently  passing  over  the  one 
into  the  other.  The  passage  is  based  on  2  Sam.  vii.  15,  and  the 
lines  are  so  much  alike  that  we  are  tempted  to  read  "T'DX-  See 
p.  127. 

^  nmX3  is  only  found  here  and  Lam.  ii.  7.  Hupfeld  suggests 
that  it  is  a  mistake  for  |*^{^  Delitzsch  agrees  with  Gesenius  in 
comparing  the  Arabic  word  of  the  same  form  meaning,  abhor,  and 
that  the  stem  is  kindred  with  -ni<. 

*  ")1V  is  ordinarily  to  be  translated  rock  ;  but  in  Ex.  iv.  25  it  is  a 
sharp  stone  or  a  knife  for  cutting,  and  it  must  have  a  similar  mean- 
ing here.     Fried.  Delitzsch  (in  his  Prolegomena  eines  neuen  Heb. 


262  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

And  hast  not  made  him  stand  in  the  battle. 
Thou  hast  made  his  brightness  to  cease, 
To  the  ground  thou  hast  cast  down  his  throne 
Thou  hast  shortened  the  days  of  his  youth : 
Thou  hast  covered  him  with  shame. 

XI.  How  long,  Jahveh,  wilt  thou  hide  thyself  for  ever  ? 
Will  thy  heat  burn  like  fire  ? 
Remember,  Adonay,^  how  fleeting  it  is  : 
For  what  vanity  thou  hast  created  all  the  sons  of  man. 
What  man  is  he  that  shall  live  and  not  see  death  ? 
That  can  deliver  himself  ^  from  the  power  of  Sheol  ? 
Where  are  thy  former  mercies,  Adonay, 
Which  thou  didst  swear  to  David  in  thy  faithfulness  ? 
Remember,  Adonay,  the  reproach  of  thy  servants  ; 
My  bearing  in  my  bosom  all  the  many  peoples  ; 
Wherewith  thin*  enemies,  Jahveh,  do  reproach, 
Wherewith  they  do  reproach  the  footsteps  of  thine  anointed.* 

— Ps.  Ixxxix. 

The  three  introductory  strophes  dwell  upon  the  mercy 
and  faithfulness  of  God  as  exhibited  in  heaven  and  on 
earth.  The  throne  of  Jahveh  is  founded  on  righteous- 
ness and  justice,  but  mercy  and  faithfulness  are  His 
attending  ministers.  The  king  of  Israel  is  the  anointed 
of  Jahveh.  He  belongs  to  Him,  and  the  divine  faithful- 
ness is  pledged  to  maintain  him  and  exalt  him. 

The  body  of  the  poem  enlarges  upon  the  covenant 
with  David,  looking  at  it  from  every  point  of  view  and 
setting  it  in  every  light.      It  seems  as  if  the  author  finds 

Aram.  Wdrte7'huchs,  1886,  p.  165)  derives  the  words  from  "inv,  to  be 
sharp,  and  thus  explains  both  meanings.  It  is  accordingly  unneces- 
sary to  render  roc^-  here. 

^  The  ^JS"12T  of  the  Massoretic  text  is  extremely  difficult. 
Delitzsch  and  Perowne  explain  the  ""^N  as  in  emphatic  position, 
"l^n  riD  ^3X  for  ""js  "l^n  no,  "how  sh..rt  a  time  I  have  to  live," 
and  so  R.V.  "how  short  my  time  is."  But  these  all  paraphrase  to 
escape  the  difficulty.  It  seems  best  to  adopt  the  suggestion  of 
Houbigant,  that  ^:6^  is  a  mistake  for  ^1^.     See  iJlN  IDT  below. 

*  IC^DJ  is  the  reflexive  "himself,"  as  often  in  Hebrew.  It  is 
incorrectly  rendered  "  his  soul  "  by  R.V. 


JEREMIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORARIES.  263 

it  difficult  to  leave  so  attractive  a  theme.  He  closes 
with  a  lamentation  that  the  covenant  has  been  rejected, 
that  the  throne  of  the  king  has  been  cast  to  the  ground, 
and  that  the  anointed  is  covered  with  shame. 

The  closing  strophe  is  an  urgent  plea  for  the  speedy- 
advent  of  Jahveh  to  display  His  former  mercies,  to  fulfil 
His  ancient  covenant  with  David  and  to  remove  the 
reproach  of  His  people. 

Psalm  cxxxii.  resembles  the  previous  psalm  in  its 
method  of  citing  the  prediction  of  Nathan  in  the  form  of 
paraphrase  ;  but  it  is  calmer  in  tone.  It  is  composed  of 
four  strophes  of  ten  trimeter  lines  each.  The  first 
strophe  gives  an  account  of  the  anxiety  of  David  to  erect 
a  great  tabernacle  for  Jahveh.  The  second  strophe 
describes  the  removal  of  the  ark  of  the  covenant  from 
Kirjath  Jearim  to  the  holy  city.  The  third  strophe 
paraphrases  the  covenant  with  David.  The  fourth 
strophe  gives  a  prediction  that  is  based  on  the  covenant. 

I.  "  0  Jahveh,  remember  for  David 
All  his  aflflictions  ; 
How  he  sware  unto  Jahveh, 
Vowed  to  the  Mighty  One  of  Jacob ; 
*  I  will  not  come  into  the  tent  of  my  house, 
Nor  ascend  upon  the  couch  of  my  bed,^ 
I  will  not  give  sleep  to  mine  eyes, 
To  mine  eyelids  slumber, 
Until  I  find  a  place  for  Jahveh, 
A  great  tabernacle  ^  for  the  Mighty  One  of  Jacob.* 

II.  Lo,  we  heard  of  it  in  Ephrathah, 
We  found  it  in  the  field  of  Ja'ar.* 
Let  us  come  to  his  great  tabernacle,' 

^  The  K.Y.  is  inconsistent  in  rendering  "  tabernacle  of  my  house," 
and  then  substituting  "  bed  "  for  "  couch  of  my  bed." 

^  ni^DK^'D  is  an  emphatic  plural,  "  great  tabernacle,"  It  is  improper 
to  neglect  the  plural,  as  the  R.V.,  or  to  translate  "tabernacles,"  as 
in  the  margin  of  the  R.V. 

^  lyi  is  a  proper  name,  and  is  not  to  be  rendered  "  wood "  or 
"  forest."     See  1  Chron.  xiii.  5. 


264  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

Let  us  worship  at  his  footstool. 

0  arise,  Jahveh,  to  thy  resting-place  ; 
Thou  and  the  ark  of  thy  strength. 

Let  thy  priests  be  clothed  with  righteousness, 
And  thy  favoured  ones  shout  for  joy. 
For  the  sake  of  David  thy  servant, 
Turn  not  away  the  face  of  thine  anointed, 

III.  Jahveh  sware  to  David, 

In  faithfulness  ^  from  which  he  will  not  depart ; 

'  Of  the  fruit  of  thy  body 

"Will  I  set  on  a  throne  for  thee.^ 

If  thy  sons  keep  my  covenant, 

And  my  testimonies  that  I  will  teach  them, 

Also  thy  children  will  continue  for  ever. 

They  will  be  enthroned  on  a  throne  for  thee.'  * 

For  Jahveh  hath  chosen  Zion  ; 

He  desired  it  for  a  dwelling-place  for  himself. 

IV.  '  This  is  my  resting-place  for  ever. 

Here  will  I  sit  enthroned  ;  for  I  desire  it. 

Her  provision  I  will  abundantly  bless  ; 

Her  poor  I  will  satisfy  with  bread, 

And  her  priests  will  I  clothe  with  salvation, 

And  her  favoured  ones  will  shout  aloud  for  joy. 

There  will  I  cause  a  horn  to  sprout  for  David, 

1  have  prepared  a  lamp  for  mine  anointed ; 
His  enemies  will  I  clothe  with  shame  ; 
But  upon  him  his  crown  will  be  brilliant.' " 

— Ps.  cxxxii 

This  prediction  is  not  only  based  upon  the  covenant 
with  David,  but  it  also  involves  the  predictions  of  Isaiah 
and  Jeremiah  with  regard  to  the  shoot  and  sprout.*  The 
Messianic  king  will  sprout  forth  in  freshness,  vigour, 
and  glory  when  Jahveh  takes  up  His  abode  permanently 

^  With  Delitzsch  and  Perowne  we  detach  niON  from  the  previous 
line  and  follow  the  rhythm. 

2  With  Delitzsch  we  find  two  lines  here. 

*  There  are  two  Jines  here  also,  as  Delitzsch  sees. 

*  Seep.  201. 


JEREMIAH  AND  HIS  CONTEMPORARIES.  '265 

in  Zion  and  fills  it  with  blessing.  Zion  will  become  a 
centre  of  salvation  as  His  everlasting  throne.  All  classes 
of  the  people,  and  especially  the  poor,  will  be  abundantly 
supplied  with  provisions  for  their  wants.  This  supply  is 
here  attached  to  the  reign  of  Jahveh,  as  in  Ps.  Ixxii.  it 
was  the  result  of  the  reign  of  the  Messiah.^  The  priests 
will  not  only  be  mediators  of  salvation,  but  they  will  be 
clothed  with  it  and  will  personally  possess  it.  Thus 
they  will  fulfil  their  ministry  of  everlasting  priesthood 
in  accordance  with  Jer.  xxxiii.^  But  the  second 
David  will  be  the  chief  recipient  of  favour.  His  horn 
will  sprout,  his  dignity  will  spring  up  like  a  tender 
plant ;  his  lamp,  that  is,  the  light  from  him,  will  shine 
brightly ;  his  diadem  will  be  brilliant,  he  will  reign  in 
glory,  and  all  his  enemies  will  be  clothed  with  shame.^ 

1  See  p.  138.  ^  2  gee  p.  246. 

*  This  psalm  resounds  in  the  hymn  of  Zachariah  the  father  of 
John  the  Baptist^  Luke  i  68-70. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

EZEKIEL. 

EzEKiEL  was  the  first  of  the  prophets  of  the  exile,  and 
as  such  began  a  new  section  in  Messianic  prophecy.  He 
was  carried  away  captive  with  Jehoiachin,  eleven  years 
before  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  and  settled  in  exile 
on  the  banks  of  the  Chebar.  In  the  fifth  year  of  his 
exile  he  was  called  to  the  prophetic  office,  and  laboured 
at  least  twenty-two  years.  Nothing  is  known  of  the  pro- 
phet outside  of  his  own  writings.  He  was  a  younger 
contemporary  of  Jeremiah,  with  whom  he  exchanged 
prophecies.  He  was  called  to  be  a  watchman  for  Israel, 
to  warn  with  faithfulness,  knowing  that  their  blood  would 
be  required  of  him.  Hence  he  was  stern,  strict  and 
severe  in  his  prophetic  work.  He  was  also  a  priest  by 
descent,  and  therefore  regarded  the  temple  as  of  great 
importance.  He  depicts  its  desecration  by  idolaters,  and 
describes  its  abandonment  by  Jahveh  in  His  cherubic 
chariot.  He  represents  that  Jahveh  abides  as  a  sanctuary 
with  His  people  in  their  temporary  exile,  and  that  He 
will  ere  long  restore  them  to  a  new  temple  in  the  holy 
land,  where  He  will  dwell  with  them  for  ever.  His 
description  of  the  cherubim  and  of  the  new  temple  of 
the  latter  days  is  based  upon  the  temple  of  Solomon,  bat 
it  combines  in  its  symbolism  the  winged  creatures  and  the 
more  massive  and  stately  buildings  of  the  temples  of  the 
great  cities  of  the  Chaldean  empire.  The  Hebrew  ideal 
of  the   temple  is   transformed   by  the  mixture  of   this 


EZEKIEL.  267 

foreign  material,  and  it  assumes  a  higher  and  grander 
form.  Ezekiel  was  fond  of  symbols  and  allegories,  and 
through  them  he  presents  graphically  and  strongly  the 
great  truths  of  the  divine  discipline  and  restoration.  He 
is  the  father  of  the  last  form  of  Old  Testament  pro- 
phecy which  may  be  called  Apocalyptic.  His  language 
departs  from  the  classic  style  by  the  formation  of  new 
words  and  the  indulgence  of  Aramaic  terms  and  ex- 
pressions. Ezekiel  is,  as  Hengstenberg  represents,  "  a 
gigantic  appearance,  well  adapted  to  struggle  effectively 
with  the  spirit  of  the  times  of  the  Babylonian  captivity ; 
a  spiritual  Samson  who,  with  powerful  hand,  grasped  the 
pillars  of  the  temple  of  idolatry  and  dashed  it  to  the 
earth,  standing  alone,  yet  worth  a  hundred  prophetic 
schools,  and  during  his  entire  appearance,  an  evidence  that 
the  Lord  was  still  among  His  people  although  His  visible 
temple  was  ground  to  powder."  ^ 

The  prophetic  activity  of  Ezekiel  was  divided  into  two 
parts  by  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  in  the  eleventh 
year  of  Zedekiah.  Previous  to  this  event  his  office  was  to 
scourge  the  people  with  the  threatenings  of  the  Lord  ; 
but  subsequently  to  comfort  them  with  the  promises  of 
restoration. 

The  introduction  describes  the  manner  of  his  call, 
chaps.  i.-iii.  21.  Part  I.  chaps,  iii.  22-xxiv.  gives 
prophecies  of  judgment  against  Jerusalem  and  Judah. 
Part  II.  chaps,  xxv.— xxxii.  gives  seven  prophecies  against 
the  heathen  nations,  like  the  corresponding  collections  in 
Isaiah  and  Jeremiah.  Part  III.  chaps,  xxxiii.-xlviii. 
contains  prophecies  respecting  the  restoration  of  Israel, 
the  overthrow  of  the  nations  of  the  world,  and  the 
erection  of  the  new  temple  and  the  divine  kingdom. 

There  are  three  Messianic  passages  in  Part  I. 
*  Hengstenberg,  Christology^  ii.  p.  3,  Edinburgh  edition. 


268  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 


L    JAHVEH  THE  SANCTUARY. 


§  76.  JaJiveh  vnll  he  the  sanctuary  of  His  people  during 
the  short  time  of  their  exile,  and  then  restore  them  to  their 
oum  land.  He  will  remove  all  its  abominations,  and  give 
them  one  heart  of  flesh  and  a  new  spirit  so  that  they  will 
lualk  in  His  ways. 

"  Therefore  say,  Thus  saith  Adonay  Jahveh  :  Yerily  I  have 
removed  them  far  off  among  the  nations,  and  verily  I  have  dispelled 
them  in  the  lands,  and  have  become  for  them  a  sanctuary  for  a  little 
while  in  the  lands  whither  they  are  come. 

Therefore  say.  Thus  saith  Adonay  Jahveh  :  I  will  gather  you  from 
the  peoples,  and  collect  you  from  the  lands  in  which  ye  have  been 
dispersed,  and  give  you  the  land  of  Israel.  And  they  will  come 
thither  and  remove  all  its  detestable  things  and  all  its  abominations 
from  it.  And  I  will  give  them  one  heart,  and  a  new  spirit  will  I 
put  within  them ;  and  remove  the  heart  of  stone  from  their  flesh 
and  give  them  a  heart  of  flesh,  in  order  that  they  may  walk  in  mine 
ordinances  and  keep  my  laws  and  do  them,  and  become  a  people  to 
me,  and  I  may  become  a  God  to  them." — Ezek.  xi.  16-20. 

Jahveh  is  here  represented  as  the  real  temple  of  the 
exiles  for  the  short  period  of  their  dispersion,  that  is, 
during  the  brief  interval  between  the  departure  of  Jahveh 
from  the  old  temple  at  Jerusalem  until  the  erection  of  a 
new  temple  by  the  returned  exiles.  Jahveh  will  ere  long 
restore  them  to  their  own  land  after  having  purged  away 
all  their  abominations  and  made  them  holy.  He  will 
give  them  a  new  heart  and  spirit.  Their  inner  man  is 
to  be  changed.  This  heart  will  become  a  heart  of  flesh 
instead  of  a  heart  of  stone — that  is,  a  truly  human  heart. 
It  will  also  be  one  heart — the  people  will  have  true  unity, 
they  will  be  one  in  the  centre  of  their  being.  This  pre- 
diction is  in  the  line  of  Isa.  iv.,^  which  set  forth  the 
purification  of  Israel  by  divine  chastisement.  It  is  also 
a  further  unfolding  of  Jer.  xxx.-xxxi.  There,  the 
»  See  p.  193. 


EZEKIEL.  269 

divine  instruction  was  to  be  written  on  the  heart  instead 
of  upon  tables  of  stone ;  ^  here,  the  heart  itself  is  to  be 
changed.  The  presence  of  God  will  no  more  be  con- 
ditioned upon  local  and  geographical  relations,  or  a 
material  temple.  God  without  the  temple  is  better  than 
the  temple  without  God.  This  the  exiles  were  to  learn 
before  God  and  the  temple  again  could  come  together. 
The  little  while  is  the  interval  between  the  theophanic 
leaving  of  the  old  temple  and  a  divine  advent  to  a  new 
temple.  It  would  be  difficult  to  find  such  an  advent  at 
the  restoration  under  Zerubbabel.  We  must  look  to  the 
advent  of  Jesus  the  God-man  for  the  renewal  of  the  heart 
and  spirit  of  the  people. 

IL    THE  WONDERFUL  CEDAE  SPRIG. 

§  77.  The  kingdom  of  God  is  like  a  sprig  of  cedar  that 
will  he  phccked  from  a  lofty  tree  and  'planted  upon  the 
mountains  of  Israel,  and  grow  to  le  a  majestic  tree  towering 
above  the  land. 

"  Thus  saith  Adonay  Jahveh  :  I  will  take  of  the  foliage  ^  of  the 
lofty  cedar,'  from  the  highest  of  its  shoots  will  I  pluck  a  tender  one, 
and  I  wiU  plant  it  upon  a  high  and  exalted  mountain  ;  *  in  the 
mountain  of  the  height  of  Israel  will  I  plant  it.  And  it  will  produce 
boughs  and  yield  fruit,  and  become  a  majestic  cedar  ;  and  every 
wild  animal  ^  will  dwell  under  it ;  and  every  bird  of  every  wing 
in  the  shadow  of  its  hanging  boughs  ^  will  dwell.  And  all  the  trees 
of  the  field  will  know  that  I,  Jahveh,  have  humbled  the  proud  tree, 
and  I  have  exalted  the  humble  tree,  I  have  dried  up  the  green  tree, 

1  See  p.  256. 

^  niDV  only  in  Ezekiel.     It  is  rendered  by  A.V.  and  RV.=top. 

^  TinJI  is  rightly  omitted  by  Cornill,  after  the  Peshitto,  as  alien  to 
the  construction  of  the  verse. 

*  7)br\  from  ?7n=sway  to  and  fro,  to  be  exalted. 

^  Cornill  inserts  HTl  ^D  after  the  LXX.  on  the  ground  that  it  is 
required  by  the  context.  Birds  do  not  dwell  U7ider  trees,  but  in 
them  ;  animals  are  therefore  needed  to  justify  the  preposition  nnn. 

*  HvT  is  bough,  from  rhl,  to  hang  down. 


270  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

and  I  have  made  fruitful  the  dry  tree  :  I,  Jahveh,  have  spoken  and 
will  do  it."  1— Ezek.  xvii.  22-24. 

This  is  a  beautiful  parable  in  the  manner  of  Ps.  Ixxx. 
and  Micah  iv.^  It  is  a  gigantic  symbol,  and  thus  all 
the  more  suited  to  represent  the  wonderful  growth  of 
the  kingdom  of  God  from  a  tender  shoot  to  a  majestic 
tree.^  The  sprig  represents  the  faithful  and  restored 
remnant  of  Israel.  That  faithful  remnant  will  realize  in 
the  future  all  the  Messianic  predictions  of  the  past. 
The  divine  ideal  of  prophecy  is  not  to  be  destroyed  with 
the  ruin  of  the  nation  and  the  destruction  of  the  majority 
of  the  people.  It  matters  little  how  small  the  remnant 
may  be.  That  little  remnant  inherits  all  the  promises, 
and  will  fill  the  world  with  its  marvellous  growth. 

III.    THE  RIGHTFUL  KING. 

§  78.  The  tiara  of  the  priest  and  the  crown  of  the  hing 
will  he  removed,  and  the  kingdom  remain  in  ruins  until 
the  advent  of  the  one  appointed  ly  Jahveh. 

"  Thus  saith  Adonay  Jahveh :  Eemove  ^  the  mitre,  and  take  off 
the  crown.     This  is  not  the  one  ;  ^  exalt  the  lowly  one,^  and  abase 

^  Tl'^Ci'Vli  ^  phrase  of  Ezekiel.  1  consec.  of  perfect  after  perfect 
changes  the  tense  from  past  affirmation  to  future  fulfilment. 

2  See  pp.  181  and  229. 

^  The  same  thought  is  presented  in  the  parable  of  the  grain  of 
mustard  seed,  Matt.  xiii.  31. 

*  The  ancient  Versions,  LXX.,  Peshitto,  Targ.,  Vulgate  take  the 
infin.  construct  T^Dn,  D"'"in  and  i)'»3::M  as  infinitives  absolute  like 
nn^n.  They  rest  upon  a  dilFerent  pointing.  So  Cornill  at  once 
changes  the  text  to  infinitives  absolute.  So  A.V.  and  R.V.  render. 
Ewald  changes  the  7^2^T\  into  n''3!in  to  conform  with  the  three 
infinitives  construct,  and  renders,  "Zu  entfernen  ist  der  Kopfbund 
und  wegzunehmen  die  Krone  !  das  ist  nicht  das  !  das  Niedrige  ist  zu 
erhohen  und  das  Hohe  zu  erniedrigen."  If  the  Massoretic  text  be 
more  authoritative  than  the  Versions,  the  one  infin.  absolute  should 
be  assimilated  to  the  three  infinitives  construct,  and  not  the  reverse. 
But  the  Versions  are  more  correct,  and  should  be  followed  here. 

*  nXT  vh  nt^T  =  this  is  not  this,  that  is,  is  not  the  one  to  abide,  is 
not  the  permanent  Messianic  kingdom. 

*  nSsC'n  is  pointed  as  if  it  were  an  archaic  ace  of  7QB>,  and 

T    T    T    -  * 


EZEKIEL.  271 

the  lofty  one.  An  overthrow,^  an  overthrow,  an  overthrow  will  I 
make  it — even  this.^  He  is  not  until  the  coming  of  the  one  whose 
riglit  it  is  and  I  give  it  him." — Ezek.  xxi.  31,  32. 

The  removal  of  the  crown  of  the  king  and  the  tiara  of 
the  priest  is  their  deposition  from  office.  The  kingdom 
and  the  priesthood  are  to  be  abolished  for  a  season. 
The  present  kingdom  is  not  the  Messianic  kingdom. 
The  present  official  priest  and  king  are  not  those  who  are 
to  realize  the  Messianic  ideal.  They  both  will  remain  in 
ruins  until  the  advent  of  the  one  appointed  by  Jaliveh 
— in  other  words,  until  the  advent  of  the  Messiah.  It  is 
thought  by  many  that  this  passage  is  a  reminiscence  of 
Gen.  xlix.^  It  is  vain  to  find  a  fulfilment  of  this  pre- 
diction in  the  princedom  of  Zerubbabel,  or  the  high- 
priesthood  of  Jeshua,  on  the  return  from  the  exile.  The 
priesthood  and  the  princedom  then  were  but  shadows  of 
the  priesthood  of  Phinehas  and  the  royalty  of  David. 
The  priesthood  lacked  the  TJrim  and  Thummim  as  the 
princedom  lacked  real  authority.  The  one  appointed  by 
Jahveh  was  and  is  Jesus  Christ. 

There  are  no  Messianic  prophecies  in  the  second  part 
of  Ezekiel,  but  the  third  part  is  chiefly  Messianic. 

therefore  masc.  like  n3)in.  But  it  is  really  feminine,  and  refers  to 
n^<T)  and  should  be  pointed    ni?DL:'n.     Comill  changes   HDiH  into 

nnnsn  and  makes  it  feminine. 

^  my,  thrice  repeated,  is  only  found  here.  It  is  an  intensive  noun 
with  the  meaning  overthrow,  ruins.  But  the  LXX.,  Vulgate  and 
Targum  take  it  as  jiy,  iniquity. 

2  The  Massoretic  riM  iih  HXT  D!l  is  extremely  difficult.  If  it  is  to 
stand,  the  discrepancy  of  gender  should  he  noted,  and  riJ<T  ninst  go 
with  the  previous  clause  and  nTI  with  the  following  clause.  Tlie 
R.V.  is  incorrect  in  rendering,  "  This  also  shall  be  no  more." 
Cornill  escapes  the  difficulty  by  reconstructing  the  text  so  as  to 
read  :  nTin  ni<T3  rb  ^1S  =  "  Woe  to  it.  Thus  it  will  remain  until  he 
come." 

«  See  p.  96. 


272  MESSIANIC  PKOPHECY, 


IV.   THE  FAITHFUL  SHEPHERD, 


§  79.  Jalwch,  the  fctitliful  shepherd  of  Israel ^  will  recover 
His  scattered  sheep,  restore  them  to  their  own  land  again, 
ylaee  over  them  a  seeond  David  as  their  shepherd,  and  make 
with  them  a  new  covenant  of  peace  and  blessing . 

"  For  thus  saith  Adonay  Jaliveh :  Lo,  I  will  come  and  seek  my 
sheep  and  search  them  out.  As  a  shepherd  searcheth  out  his  flock 
in  the  day  of  tempest,i  so  will  I  search  out  my  sheep  and  deliver 
them  from  all  the  places  whither  they  have  been  scattered  in  the  day 
of  cloud  and  dense  darkness  :  and  will  bring  them  out  from  the 
peoples,  and  gather  them  from  the  lands,  and  bring  them  to  their 
own  land,  and  feed  them  on  the  mountains  of  Israel,  by  the  water- 
coui-ses,  and  in  all  the  dwelling-places  of  the  land.  In  excellent 
pasture  will  I  feed  them,  and  on  the  mountain  of  the  height  of 
Israel  will  be  their  abode.  There  will  they  lie  down  in  excellent 
abode,  and  in  a  fat  pasture  will  they  feed  on  the  mountains  of 
Israel.  I  will  feed  my  flock  and  I  will  make  them  to  lie  down,  is 
the  utterance  of  Adonay  Jahveh.  The  lost  one  I  will  gather,  and 
the  outcast  will  I  bring  back,  and  the  bruised  wiU  I  bind  up,  and 
the  sick  will  I  strengthen,  and  the  strong  will  I  keep.^  I  will  feed 
them  with  justice.  ...  I  will  save  my  flock,  and  they  will  no  more 
become  a  prey  ;  and  I  will  judge  between  sheep  and  sheep.  And 
I  will  place  over  them  one  shepherd,  and  he  will  feed  them,  even 
my  servant  David ;  he  will  feed  them,  and  he  will  become  a 
shepherd  for  them.  And  I,  Jahveh,  will  become  their  God,  and  mv 
servant  David  a  prince  in  their  midst.     I,  Jahveh,  have  spoken  it. 

And  I  will  conclude  with  them  a  covenant  of  peace,  and  I  will 
cause  evil  animals  to  cease  from  the  land.     And  they  will  dwell 


1  The  Massoretic  niKnE)3  1:nV  linn  "iDVn  DV3  is  certainly  very 
awkward.  We  sympaihize  with  (Jornill  in  following  the  Peshitto 
and  reading  nSlD  DV3  instead  of  it.  The  Versions  have  found 
difficulty,  and  are  divided  in  their  testimony.  But  the  simplicity  of 
the  Peshitto  and  its  conformity  to  the  context  commends  it.  The 
Massoretic  text  has  jjrobably  arisen  from  a  marginal  gloss. 

^  The  Massoretic  T»DK^J<  involves  a  contrast  with  the  previous  con- 
text that  is  unnatural  and  unexpected.  The  LXX.  Peshitto  and 
Vulgate  read  "l^t^X,  which  is  more  ap})ropriate  to  the  context,  and  is 
rightly  followed  by  Coruill.  It  would  appear  that  nJDtJTI  HKI  was 
a  marginal  gloss. 


EZEKIEL.  273 

securely  in  the  wilderness,  and  sleep  in  the  woods.  And  I  will 
make  them  and  the  places  round  about  my  hill  a  blessing,^  and  I 
will  cause  the  shower  to  come  down  in  its  season  :  there  will  be 
showers  of  blessing.  And  the  tree  of  the  field  will  yield  its  fruit, 
and  the  land  will  yield  its  produce,  and  they  will  be  secure  upon 
their  own  land,  and  will  know  that  it  is  I,  Jahveh,  when  I  have 
broken  the  bars  of  their  yoke,  and  delivered  them  from  the  hand  of 
those  who  make  bondsmen  of  them.  And  they  will  not  become  any 
more  a  spoil  to  the  nations,  and  the  animals  of  the  land  will  no 
more  devour  them  ;  and  they  will  dwell  securely,  and  there  will  be 
none  to  terrify  them.  And  I  wiU  raise  up  for  them  a  complete 
plantation. 2  And  they  will  not  be  taken  away  by  hunger  in  the 
land,  and  they  will  not  bear  any  more  the  reproach  of  the  nations. 
And  they  will  know  that  I,  Jahveh,  their  God,  am  with  them  and 
that  they  are  my  people,  the  house  of  Israel,  is  the  utterance  of 
Adonay  Jahveh.  My  sheep,  the  sheep  of  my  pasture,  are  ye,^  and 
I  am  your  God,  is  the  utterance  of  Adonay  Jahveh." 

— Ezek.  xxxiv.  11-31. 

Jahveh  is  the  shepherd  of  Israel.  The  exiles  are  His 
flock  that  have  been  scattered  by  storm  and  tempest. 
He  will  not  forsake  them,  but  will  search  them  out  and 
gather  them  together,  and  restore  them  to  their  fold  in 
the  land  of  Israel.  The  prophet  has  in  mind  the 
same  conception  that  we  have  found  in  Ps.  Ixxx.* 
In  Zech.  xi.  Jahveh  the  good  shepherd  rejected  his 
flock  after  they  had  treated  Him  as  a  miserable  slave.^ 
Here  the  good  shepherd  recovers  His  sheep.     In  con- 

^  The  clause  HDia  TlVn:!  ni3''nD  is  exceedingly  difficult.  The 
LXX.  omits  nD"l3.  The  limitation  to  "  round  about  my  hill,"  that 
is,  Zion,  is  unnatural.  Cornill  suggests  that  the  original  reading  was 
niT2"l  =  showers,  as  in  Deut.  xxxii.  2;  Jer.  iii. ;  Ps.  Ixv.  11,  Ixxii.  6. 
This  would  admirably  suit  the  context.  But  there  is  no  sufficient 
reason  for  departing  from  the  text. 

^  The  DEJ'/'  of  the  Massoretic  text  and  Vulgate  version  is  not  so 
suited  to  the  context  as  Dpsj>  of  the  LXX.  and  Peshitto.  There  has 
been  a  transportation  of  letters.    We  agree  with  Cornill  in  preferring 

the  tbl^- 

^  D^X  of  the  Massoretic  text  gives  a  very  unsatisfactory  sense. 
It  is  best  with  the  LXX.  to  strike  it  out ;  so  Cornhill  rightly  jndgeg. 

*  See  p.  229.  »  See  p.  187. 

S 


274  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

nection  with  the  restoration  a  new  covenant  is  established. 
This  covenant  bears  the  significant  name,  covenant  of 
peace,  because  it  secures  exemption  from  war  and  per- 
manent safety  in  the  holy  land.  The  animal  kingdom 
will  be  at  peace  with  them,  and  the  land  will  become 
wonderfully  fruitful.  The  plantation  will  become  so 
complete  in  its  fruitfulness  that  there  will  be  no  more 
hunger  in  the  land,  but  every  want  will  be  satisfied. 
This  covenant  with  nature  is  in  the  line  of  Hosea.-"-  The 
second  David  appears  in  the  prediction  as  in  Hosea  and 
Jeremiah,^  but  he  is  in  a  subordinate  position.  He  is 
appointed  by  Jahveh  to  his  shepherd's  office,  and  enters 
upon  his  service  after  the  redemption  and  restoration 
have  been  accomplished  by  Jahveh  Himself. 

V.    THE  GREAT  PURIFICATION. 

§  80.  Israel  vjill  he  restored  to  their  own  land.  They 
will  he  s2rrinJcled  with  clean  water  and  purified.  They 
will  receive  a  new  heart  and  spirit  instead  of  the  heart  of 
stone.  They  ivill  enjoy  great  prosperity  in  the  land,  which 
luill  hecome  like  the  garden  of  Eden. 

"  And  I  will  scatter  upon  you  pure  water,  and  ye  will  be  puri- 
fied from  all  your  uncleannesses  ;  and  from  all  your  idols  will  I 
purify  you,  and  give  to  you  a  new  heart  ;  and  a  new  spirit  will  I 
give  within  you,  and  remove  the  heart  of  stone  from  your  flesh,  and 
give  to  you  a  heart  of  flesh  ;  and  my  spirit  will  I  give  within  you, 
and  I  will  cause  that  you  will  walk  in  my  statutes,  and  that  my 

judgments  ye  will  keep  and  do  them And  the  desolate  land 

will  be  tilled,  whereas  it  was  a  desolation  in  the  eyes  of  every  passer- 
by. And  they  will  say,  yonder  desolate  land  is  become  like  the 
garden  of  Eden ;  and  the  cities  that  were  waste  and  desolate  and 
torn  down  are  fenced  and  inhabited." — Ezek.  xxxvi.  25-35. 

Ezekiel  here  represents  that  the  restoration  is  to  be 
connected  with  a  great  purification.     The  purification  in 
the  previous  section  was  accomplished  by  a  great  national 
^  See  p.  172.  ^  ggg  pp_  174  an^j  £47  seq. 


EZEKIEL.  275 

discipline  and  through  suffering.  Here  it  is  by  the 
application  of  pure  water.  The  prophet  uses  the  cere- 
monial purification  of  Israel  as  a  great  symbol  to  set 
forth  the  great  purification  that  is  to  transform  the 
nation  by  transforming  its  heart  and  spirit.  This  is  to 
be  accomplished  not  by  any  human  priests  through  the 
use  of  rites  and  ceremonies,  but  by  God  Himself,  who 
makes  a  great  national  baptism.  This  baptism  cleanses 
the  entire  nation  within  and  without.  It  removes  all 
the  external  uncleanness  due  to  the  worship  of  idols  and 
the  indulgence  in  corrupt  practices.  But  it  also  removes 
the  deeper  impurity  of  a  hard,  stubborn  and  rebellious 
heart,  a  reluctant  disposition  and  unruly  temper.  A 
new  heart  takes  the  place  of  the  old  heart,  and  it  is  a 
heart  of  flesh  responsive  to  the  touch  of  the  divine  hand. 
The  heart  of  stone,  cold,  hard  and  insensible,  is  taken 
away.  A  new  spirit  is  imparted  to  Israel,  and  that  is  a 
spirit  given  directly  by  God  Himself, — a  spirit  that  is  in 
sympathy  with  the  Spirit  of  God  and  acts  under  the 
divine  impulse.  Such  a  purified  people  are  to  dwell  in 
a  purified  land.  As  there  has  been  a  new  creation  of 
man  after  the  manner  of  the  creation  of  Adam  by  the 
inbreathing  of  the  breath  of  God,  so  there  is  a  renovation 
of  the  earth,  and  it  becomes  like  the  garden  of  Eden,  and 
Paradise  is  restored.  The  prophet  has  in  mind  the  poem  of 
the  Temptation  and  the  Fall;  and  the  story  of  the  origin  of 
our  race  ^  gives  him  the  symbol  by  which  to  set  forth  the 
new  life  of  Israel  in  the  land  of  promise,  in  the  new  Eden. 

VI.    THE  GREAT  RESUEEEOTION. 

§  81.  AWiough  the  nation  is  dead,  and  is  hecome  a  heap 
of  dry  hones,  the  Spirit  of  Jahveh  will  hring  them  to  life  and 
animate  them  with  the  courage  of  a  great  army  of  God, 
^  See  Gen.  ii.  7. 


276  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

"  And  I  prophesied  as  I  was  commanded :  and  there  was  a  sound 
when  I  prophesied,  and,  lo,  an  earthquake,  and  bones  approached 
bone  unto  its  bone.  And  I  saw,  and,  lo,  sinews  upon  them,  and  flesh 
came  up,  and  skin  covered  them  over  above  :  but  there  was  no 
breath  in  them.  Then  he  said  unto  me.  Prophesy  unto  the  breath,^ 
son  of  man,  and  say  unto  the  breath.  Thus  saith  Adonay  Jahveh  : 
From  the  four  winds,  come  thou,  O  breath,  and  breathe  upon  these 
slain,  that  they  may  live.  And  I  prophesied  as  he  commanded  me, 
and  the  breath  came  in  them,  and  they  lived,  and  stood  up  upon 
their  feet  a  rery  very  great  host.  And  he  said  unto  me.  Son  of 
man,  these  bones  are  the  whole  house  of  Israel :  lo,  they  are  saying, 
Our  bones  are  dried  up,  and  our  hope  is  lost ;  it  is  cut  off  from  us. 
Therefore  prophesy,  and  say  unto  them.  Thus  saith  Adonay  Jahveh : 
Lo,  I  am  about  to  open  your  graves  and  bring  you  up  from  your 
graves,  my  people  ;  and  bring  you  to  the  land  of  Israel.  And  ye 
will  know  that  it  is  I,  Jahveh,  when  I  open  your  graves,  and  when 
I  bring  you  up  from  your  graves,  my  people,  and  put  my  breath  in 
you,  and  ye  live  and  I  place  you  in  your  own  land  ;  and  ye  wiU 
know  that  it  is  I,  Jahveh.  I  have  spoken  and  I  will  do  it,  is  the 
utterance  of  Jahveh."--Ezek.  xxxviL  7-14. 

The  prophet  uses  the  creation  of  Adam  by  the 
inbreathing  of  the  breath  of  life  from  God  as  a  symbol 
of  the  restoration  of  Israel.  It  is  probable  that  he  had 
in  mind  also  the  prediction  of  a  national  resurrection 
that  we  have  found  in  Hosea.^  This  symbol  does  not 
imply  the  Christian  doctrine  of  the  resurrection  of  all 
men  from  the  dead.     It  moves  only  in  the  sphere  of 

^  There  is  considerable  difference  of  opinion,  in  this  section,  as  to 
the  proper  rendering  of  niin.  The  R V.  renders  it  "  wind  "  twice 
in  this  verse  ;  and  then  once  in  this  verse  and  once  in  the  following 
verse  "breath."  In  ver.  14  it  renders  it  "spirit."  The  margin 
gives  the  alternative  renderings  "  breath  "  for  the  renderings  "  wind  " 
and  "  spirit,"  and  "  wind  "  or  "  spirit "  for  the  rendering  "  breath." 
It  seems  to  us  that  it  is  necessary  to  render  uniformly  by  "  breath." 
The  prophet  has  in  mind  here,  as  in  the  previous  section,  the  creation 
of  Adam  in  Eden  by  the  inbreathing  of  the  breath  of  life  from  the 
divine  nostrils.  This  breath  is  still  absent  from  the  body.  He 
summons  it  to  come  from  all  quarters  and  enter  with  its  life  the 
bodies  that  have  come  out  of  their  graves.  This  breath  is  called 
the  breath  of  God,  because  it  is  conceived  here,  as  in  Gen.  ii.  7, 
as  having  its  source  in  God.  The  breath  and  the  spirit  are  not 
discriminated. 

3  See  p.  176. 


EZEKIEL.  277 

national  death  and  national  resurrection.  The  nation  of 
Israel  is  dead.  It  has  died  upon  the  battlefield.  The 
field  is  covered  with  the  slain.  The  flesh  has  disappeared 
from  the  bones,  and  they  have  become  very  dry.  All 
hope  seems  to  have  perished.  But  the  divine  promises 
will  be  fulfilled.  The  grace  of  God  is  supreme  over  death. 
At  the  word  of  divine  command,  and  in  obedience  to  the 
prophet's  summons,  the  bones  move  together  to  their 
proper  places,  the  flesh  and  the  sinews  come  upon  them, 
and  the  body  is  reconstituted.  But  it  still  lacks  the 
breath  of  life.  At  the  summons  of  the  prophet,  the 
breath  comes  rushing  in,  and  the  bodies  live  and  rise  to 
their  feet  a  very  very  great  army.  This  resurrection  of 
Israel  is  accomplished  by  the  command  of  God.  God 
Himself  comes  in  theophany  with  convulsions  of  nature 
to  bring  it  about.  The  symbol  is  a  symbol  of  the  resur- 
rection of  Israel  as  a  nation,  and  their  restoration  to  the 
holy  land.  It  becomes  associated  in  subsequent  prophecy 
with  the  doctrine  of  a  universal  resurrection,  because  the 
restoration  of  Israel,  that  the  prophet  had  in  view,  can 
be  accomphshed  only  in  the  resurrection  of  all  mankind 
in  the  last  great  day,  and  their  establishment  in  the  new 
Jerusalem  upon  the  new  earth.  But  this  wider  outlook 
was  not  granted  to  Ezekiel. 

VII.    THE  GREAT  REUNION. 

§  82.  Israd  and  Judah  will  he  reunited  under  the 
second  David.  A  new  and  everlasting  covenant  of  'peace 
will  he  made  with  them,  and  the  sanctuary  of  Jahveh  will 
abide  in  their  midst  for  ever. 

"  Thus  saith  Adonay  Jahveh :  Lo,  I  am  about  to  take  the  whole 
house  of  Israel  ^  from  among  the  nations,  whither  they  be  gone,  and 

1  Cornill  rightly  follows  the  LXX.  i)i<-){5>"«  n^n  ^D  in  preference  to 
the  Massoretic  ^i^ltJ^  "'32,  on  the  ground  that  the  change  in  the 
direction  of  the  Massoretic  text  was  easier  than  the  reverse. 


278  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

gather  them  from  round  about,  and  bring  them  unto  their  land, 
and  make  them  one  nation  in  my  land  ^  on  the  mountains  of  Israel ; 
and  one  king  will  they  all  have  for  king,  and  they  will  not  be  two 
nations  any  more,  and  they  will  not  be  divided  into  two  kingdoms 
any  more.  And  they  will  not  defile  themselves  any  more  with 
idols  or  with  their  detestable  things,  nor  with  any  of  their  trans- 
gressions ;  but  I  will  save  them  from  all  their  apostasies  ^  wherein 
they  have  sinned,  and  will  cleanse  them  ;  and  they  will  become  a 
people  to  me,  and  I  will  become  a  God  to  them.  And  my  servant 
David  will  be  king  over  them,  and  they  all  will  have  one  shepherd, 
and  in  my  judgments  will  they  walk,  and  my  statutes  will  they 
keep  and  do  them.  And  they  will  dwell  upon  the  land  which  I 
gave  to  my  servant,  to  Jacob,  in  which  their  fathers  dwelt ;  and 
they  will  dwell  upon  it,  they,  their  children,  and  their  children's 
children  for  ever  ;  and  David  my  servant  will  be  their  prince  for 
ever. 

And  I  will  conclude  a  covenant  of  peace  with  them  ;  an  everlast- 
ing covenant  will  be  with  them  ;  ^  and  I  will  give  my  sanctuary  in 
their  midst  for  ever.  And  my  dwelling-place  will  be  with  them  ; 
and  I  will  become  a  God  to  them,  and  they  will  become  a  people  to 
me.  And  the  nations  wiD  know  that  I,  Jahveh,  am  sanctifying 
Israel,  when  my  sanctuary  is  in  their  midst  for  ever." 

— Ezek.  xxxvii.  21-28. 

This  prediction  is  the  renewal  of  several  earlier  ones 
in  a  new  form.  The  prophet  uses  a  very  simple  symbol, 
the  union  of  two  sticks.  This  sets  forth  the  reunion  of 
the  two  sections  of  Israel,  Judah  who  has  just  gone 
into  exile  and  the  northern  kingdom  that  has  long  been 
in  exile.  They  are  both  to  unite  under  the  second  David, 
as  in  Hosea.*     In  connection  with  this  reunion  a  new 

1  The  LXX.  '•^n^n  is  preferable  to  the  Massoretic  pN3,  as  Cornill 
states.     It  is  more  suited  to  the  style  of  the  prophet,  and  is  wai'mer. 

2  The   Massoretic   DHTIDK^I^^"  their  dwellings,"  does  not  give 

good  sense  in  the  context.  The  LXX.  translates  ix.uo[/,iav.  It  is 
etter  to  read  D^TlU1£^*D  =  "  their  apostasies,"  after  Symmachus, 
with  Ewald  and  Cornill.  So  the  mai-gin  of  the  E.V.  renders  "  their 
backslidings." 

3  The  Massoretic  Dni5<  TT'mn"!  D^nn:i  is  not  in  the  LXX.  The 
Peshitto  omits  DTin^V  The  whole  is  probably  a  marginal  gloss  that 
has  crept  into  the  text.     It  distui'bs  the  context. 

*  See  p.  167. 


EZEKIEL.  279 

covenant  of  peace  will  be  established  that  will  endure 
for  ever.  This  is  a  renewal  of  Ezekiel  xxxiv/  The 
divine  sanctuary  will  abide  in  their  midst  for  ever  after 
they  have  been  consecrated  and  prepared  for  it.  The 
little  season  when  Jahveh  was  their  sanctuary  without  a 
Visible  sanctuary  will  be  past,  and  the  everlasting  union 
in  the  holy  land  will  be  accomplished.^ 

VIII.    THE  JUDGMENT  OF  GOG. 

§  83.  There  will  he  a  great  final  co7ifliGt  with  Gog  at 
the  head  of  nations  fronn  the  ends  of  the  earth.  These  will 
he  overthrown  hy  the  advent  of  Jahveh,  vjho  will  rain  fire 
and  hrimstone  upon  them  and  utterly  destroy  them.  But 
He  will  pour  out  His  Spirit  on  His  people,  and  restore 
them  to  their  own  land. 

"  And  the  word  of  Jahveh  came  unto  me,  saying,  Son  of  man, 
set  thy  face  toward  Gog,  of  the  land  of  Magog,  the  prince  of  the 
chiefs^  of  Meshech  and  Tubal,  and  prophesy  against  him,  and  say, 
This  saith  Adonay  Jahveh :  Behold  I  am  against  thee,  O  Gog, 
prince  of  the  chiefs  of  Meshech  and  Tubal ;  and  I  will  turn  thee 
about,  and  put  hooks  into  thy  jaws,  and  I  will  bring  thee  forth, 
and  all  thine  army,  horses  and  horsemen,  all  of  them  clothed  in  full 
armour,  a  great  company  with  buckler  and  shield,  all  of  them 
handling  swords :  Persia,  Gush,  and  Put  with  them  ;  all  of  them 
with  shield  and  helmet :  Gomer,  and  all  his  hordes  ;  the  house  of 
Togarmah  in  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  north,  and  all  his  hordes  j 

1  See  p.  273.  ^  gee  p.  2G8. 

^  ^t?"l  S'^C^J  is  rendered  in  the  RY.  prince  of  Eosh  ;  so  most 
interpreters ;  after  the  LXX.  Sym.  Theod.  even  the  latest,  Orelli 
and  Cornill.  But  the  A.V.  and  the  margin  of  the  E.V.  render 
correctly  "  chief  prince,"  after  the  Vulgate,  Peshitto,  Aquila,  and 
Targum  ;  so  rightly  Hengstenberg,  Ewald,  and  Smend.  There  ia 
no  such  country  as  Eosh  known  to  the  Bible,  and  there  is  no  pro- 
priety whatever  in  referring  it  to  Eussia.  (See  C.  H.  H.  Wright, 
Biblical  Essays,  p.  99  seq.,  Edin.  1886.)  We  should  also  expect  a 
leader  of  these  hordes,  who  would  bear  a  more  exalted  title  than 
"  prince,"  whereas  the  prince  over  chiefs  of  many  tribes  and  nations 
is  what  the  context  really  requires. 


280  MESSIANIC  PKOPHECY. 

even  many  peoples  with  tliee.  .  .  .  When  thou  shalt  ascend,  thou 
wilt  come  like  a  storm,  thou  wilt  be  like  a  cloud  to  cover  the  land, 
thou,  and  all  thy  hordes,  and  many  peoples  with  thee.  .  .  ,  And  it 
will  come  to  pass  in  that  day  when  Gog  shall  come  against  the  land 
of  Israel,  is  the  utterance  of  Adonay  Jahveh,  that  my  fury  will 
come  up  into  my  nostrils.  Yea,  in  my  zeal  and  in  the  fire  of  my 
overflowing  wrath  do  I  speak.  Surely  in  that  day  there  will  be  a 
great  earthquake  upon  the  land  of  Israel  ;  and  the  fishes  of  the  sea, 
and  the  birds  of  heaven,  and  the  wild  animals  of  the  field,  and  all 
creeping  things  that  creep  upon  the  earth,  and  all  the  men  that  are 
upon  the  face  of  the  earth,  will  quake  at  my  presence,  and  the 
mountains  will  be  thrown  down,  and  the  steep  places  will  fall,  and 
every  wall  will  fall  to  the  gi'ound.  And  I  will  call  against  him  every 
terror,^  is  the  utterance  of  Adonay  Jahveh.  Every  man's  sword 
wdll  be  against  his  brother.  And  I  will  plead  against  him  with 
pestilence  and  with  blood  ;  and  I  will  rain  upon  him,  and  upon  his 
hordes,  and  upon  the  many  peoples  that  are  with  him  an  overflow- 
ing shower,  and  great  hailstones,  fire  and  brimstone.  .  .  .  And 
they  that  dwell  in  the  cities  of  Israel  will  go  forth,  and  make  fires  * 
of  the  weapons,  both  the  shields  and  the  bucklers,  the  bows  and  the 
arrows,  and  the  handstaves,  and  the  spears,  and  they  will  set  fire  to 
them  seven  years.  .  .  .  And  it  will  come  to  pass  in  that  day,  that 
I  will  give  unto  Gog  a  place  for  burial  in  Israel,  the  valley  of 
Abarim  on  the  east  of  the  sea  ;  and  they  will  stop  up  the  valley  :  ^ 
and  there  will  they  bury  Gog  and  all  his  multitude  ;  and  they  will 
call  it  the  valley  of  *  Hamongog.     And  seven  months  will  the  house 

1  The  Massoretic  mn  ''"irrl^D^  is  not  suited  to  the  context.  The 
LXX.  ttAu  <p6(3ov  /Liu^octpec;  is  much  better  in  this  respect.  It 
involves  the  Hebrew  ^^"l^  b^,  which  is  rightly  adopted  by  Cornill. 
"We  also  agree  with  him  in  striking  out  ^in.  This  is  not  suited  to 
rnin,  and  is  not  found  in  some  of  the  best  MSS.  of  the  LXX.  It 
is  a  premature  specification,  which  is  unnatural  in  view  of  the 
details  that  follow. 

'■^  The  LXX.  and  Peshitto  omit  )1]}2),  and  it  seems  to  be  a 
margiual  gloss  explanatory  of  the  unusual  p^^n.  It  is  therefore 
properly  stricken  out  by  Cornill. 

^  Dnayn    should  be   pointed   D'^inyn,  the  mountains   of   Moab, 

outside  of  the  holy  land  of  the  restoration  ;  and  the  LXX.  and 
Peshitto  should  be  followed,  and  the  Massoretic  x\-i  JiDDm  changed 
into  x-'jn  nx  ippni  after  Cornill,  and  DnaynTIN  should  be  eUded 
as  a  vain  repetition  from  the  margin. 

*  i)^  ri^n.  The  name  combines  iJion  ^31  J1J  above,  the  multitude 
of  Gog,  Gog  and  all  his  multitude. 


EZEKIEL.  281 

of  Israel  be  burying  of  them,  that  they  may  cleanse  the  land.  .  .  . 
And  thou,  son  of  man,  thus  saith  Adonay  Jahveh :  Say  unto  the 
birds  of  every  wing,  and  to  all  the  wild  animals  of  the  field.  Assemble 
yourselves,  and  come ;  gather  yourselves  on  every  side  to  my  sacri- 
fice 1  that  I  do  sacrifice  for  you,  even  a  great  sacrifice  upon  the 
mountains  of  Israel,  and  ye  will  eat  flesh  and  drink  blood.  Ye 
shall  eat  the  flesh  of  the  mighty,  and  drink  the  blood  of  the  princes 
of  the  earth,  of  rams,  of  lambs,  and  of  goats,  of  bullocks,  all  of  them 
fatlings  of  Bashan.  And  ye  shall  eat  flesh  ^  till  ye  be  full,  and 
drink  blood  till  ye  be  drunken,  of  my  sacrifice  which  I  have  sacri- 
ficed for  you.  And  ye  shall  be  filled  at  my  table  with  horses  and 
chariots,  with  mighty  men,  and  with  all  men  of  war,  is  the  utter- 
ance of  Adonay  Jahveh.  .  .  .  Therefore  thus  saith  Adonay  Jahveh : 
Now  will  I  restore  the  prosperity  of  Jacob,  and  have  compassion 
upon  the  whole  house  of  Israel ;  and  I  will  be  zealous  for  my  holy 
name.  And  they  will  forget  ^  their  rebellion,  and  all  their  trespasses 
whereby  they  have  trespassed  against  me,  when  they  dwell  securely 
in  their  land,  and  there  be  none  to  make  them  afraid ;  when  I  have 
brought  them  again  from  the  peoples,  and  gathered  them  out  of 
their  enemies'  lands,  and  am  sanctified  in  them  in  the  sight  of  many 
nations.  And  they  will  know  that  it  is  I,  Jahveh  their  God,  in 
that  I  caused  them  to  go  into  captivity  among  the  nations,  and  I 
gathered  them  unto  their  own  land ;  and  I  will  leave  none  of  them 
any  more  there  ;  and  I  will  not  hide  my  face  any  more  from  them  ; 
for  I  have  poured  out  my  Spirit  upon  the  house  of  Israel,  is  the 
utterance  of  Adonay  Jahveh." — Ezek.  xxxviii.-xxxix. 

The  prophet  looks  forward  to  the  reoccupation  of  the 
holy  land  by  the  children  of  Israel.  They  will  dwell  in  it 
in  peaceful  security  without  the  need  of  walled  towns 

1  Jahveh  Himself  makes  a  great  n2],  and  the  flesh  of  the  victims 
makes  a  great  feast  for  the  birds  and  beasts  of  prey. 

2  -)*^2  is  the  correct  reading,  after  the  Vulgate  and  Peshitto,  in 
accoixi  with  the  context.  The  Jpt^  of  the  Massoretic  text  is  not  so 
good,  although  supported  by  the  LXX. 

^  ib^JI  is  the  Massoretic  reading,  a  shortened  form  of  1X5^31  =  "they 
wiU  bear."  So  the  Versions  and  interpreters  generally  take  it. 
But  it  is  better,  with  Hitzig  and  Cornill,  to  read  itJ'J,  and  render 
"  forget."  This  is  more  in  accordance  with  the  context,  and  gives 
us  a  thought  similar  to  Zeph.  iii.  11.     Cornill  would  change  DnD^3 

into  DniD  b^.  This  would  give  a  better  sense,  but  it  is  nob 
necessary. 


282  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

and  fortresses.  Their  prosperity  and  apparently  unpro- 
tected condition  will  in  the  last  days  provoke  the  greed 
of  distant  nations.  The  Scythians,  the  scourge  of  the 
ancient  world,  those  mysterious  hordes  of  cavalry  from 
the  steppes  of  Central  Asia,  whom  we  have  already 
met  in  the  predictions  of  Zephaniah,-^  rise  before  the 
mind  of  the  prophet  as  the  symbol  of  the  last  enemies 
of  the  people  of  God.  Gog  is  the  prince  of  the  chiefs  of 
these  savage  tribes,  who  rush  upon  the  holy  land  like  a 
horrible  tempest.  They  whirl  along  with  them  in  their 
swift  career  nations  from  all  parts  of  the  earth.  For 
Persia,  Ethiopia,  Libya,  Gomer  and  Togarmah,  Meshech 
and  Tubal,  SH  take  part  in  this  great  invasion. 
Nations  from  the  most  distant  parts  of  Europe,  Asia,  and 
Africa  simultaneously  arise  and  rush  to  the  centre  of  the 
earth  to  attack  the  innocent  and  unprotected  people  of 
God,  and  rob  them  of  their  peace  and  wealth.^  Such 
a  conflict  we  have  seen  already  in  Joel,^  but  the  vision  of 
that  prophet  was  confined  to  a  narrower  range.  There 
they  battle  in  the  vale  of  Jehoshaphat,  here  the  combat 
is  upon  the  mountains  of  Israel.  The  hordes  of  the 
enemy  cover  the  whole  land  like  a  dense  cloud.  But 
Jahveh  has  not  forsaken  His  people.  He  is  their  only 
protector  and  saviour,  but  they  need  no  other.  Gog  and 
his  host  have  been  gathered  together  for  slaugliter. 

Jahveh  comes  with  a  great  earthquake  that  shakes 
all  nature  and  brings  every  lofty  thing  to  the  ground. 
He  comes  with  a  tempest  raining  fire,  and  brimstone,  and 
hailstones  upon  the  armies  of  the  nations.  They  are 
thrown  into  a  panic  and  turn  their  swords  against  each 
other,^  and  pestilence  combines  with  every  ill  to  destroy 

1  See  p.  221. 

2  See  0.  H.  H.  Wright,  BihUcal  Essays,  p.  108  seq.,  Edin.  1886. 

3  See  p.  157. 

*    The    prophet    combines    several    features  of  theophanies  of 


EZEKIEL.  283 

them.  From  all  parts  the  birds  and  beasts  of  prey 
gather  to  devour  their  carcases.  Their  bones  are  so 
numerous  that  for  seven  months  the  house  of  Israel  will 
be  busy  in  burying  them,  and  a  great  valley  will  be 
filled  up  with  their  carcases.  Their  weapons  will  be  so 
numerous  that  they  will  serve  the  people  of  the  land  for 
seven  years  with  sufficient  firewood.  The  overthrow  is 
to  be  total,  overwhelming,  and  final.  The  prophet  now 
concludes  with  a  brief  reference  to  the  security  of  restored 
Israel.  Jahveh  has  poured  out  His  Spirit  upon  them, 
and  they  recognise  God  as  their  deliverer,  and  His  face 
will  no  more  be  hid  from  them.  The  advent  of  the 
Spirit  of  Jahveh  is  not  so  prominent  as  in  Joel,^  because 
the  prediction  deals  chiefly  with  the  great  deliverance 
wrought  in  the  last  conflict,  and  the  prophet  has  in  mind 
another  great  prophecy  of  the  restoration. 

This  prediction  has  no  historical  reference.  It  is  in 
its  nature  apocalyptic.  It  points  to  a  conflict  to  follow 
the  restoration.  It  is  taken  up  again  by  the  author  of 
the  New  Testament  Apocalypse  as  the  appropriate  symbol 
of  the  final  conflict  of  the  world.^ 

IX.  THE  HOLY  LAND  OF  THE  RESTOEATION. 

§  84.  Ezclciel  gives  a  detailed  description  of  the  holy 
land  of  the  restoration,  its  division  among  the  tribes,  the 
sacred  portions  of  the  priests,  Levites,  and  prince ;  the  holy 
city  named  Jahveh  Shammah ;  the  temple,  its  stately 
structure  and  sanctity  ;  the  priesthood  limited  to  the  faithful 
and  holy  line  of  Zadok  ;  and  the  ritual,  which  differs  from 


ancient  times.  The  earthquake  is  frequent  in  theophanies,  Ex. 
xix.  18 ;  Num.  xxvi.  10 ;  Ps.  xviii.  7  ;  fire,  hailstones,  and  tempests 
are  mentioned,  Gen.  xix.  24  ;  Josh.  x.  11 ;  Judg.  v.  20 ;  and  the  panic, 
Judg.  vii.  22  ;  1  Sam.  xiv.  20 ;  2  Chron.  xx.  23. 

1  See  p.  155.  2  j»ev.  xx.  7-10. 


284  MESSIANIC  PROPEECY. 

that  of  the  jpriest  code  hy  its  relative  simplicity  and  the  stress 
laid  upon  the  sin-offerings  at  the  hcginning  of  the  year. 
From  the  temple  a  stream  of  life  issues,  increasing  as  it 
goes  in  depth  and  power.  Its  waters  give  life  to  the  larren 
portions  of  the  land,  and  even  the  Dead  Sea  and  its  shores, 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  salt  tracts.  The  hanks  of  the 
river  are  lined  with  trees  of  life,  yielding  healing  leaves 
and  monthly  fruits.  The  garden  of  Eden  and  the  new 
Jerusalem  are  comhincd. 

Ezekiel  closes  his  book  of  prophecy  with  the  greatest 
symbol  that  he  or  any  other  prophet  ever  conceived.  He 
combines  in  his  representation  the  story  of  Paradise,  the 
holy  land  of  the  conquest,  the  temple  of  Solomon,  and 
the  structures  of  the  great  cities  of  the  Babylonian  empire, 
— all  that  was  greatest  and  best  in  the  history  and  ex- 
perience of  his  own  nation  and  other  nations,  in  order  to 
set  forth  the  wondrous  excellence  of  the  holy  land  of 
the  restoration.  Most  modern  interpreters  hesitate  to 
accept  the  entire  section,  chaps,  xl.-xlix.,  as  Messianic. 
Even  Hengstenberg  limits  th-e  Messianic  element  to  chap, 
xlvii.  1-12.^  Wellhausen  and  his  associates  regard  the 
whole  as  the  programme  for  the  returning  exiles  that 
was  afterwards  expanded  into  the  priestly  legislation. 
But  it  seems  to  us  that  the  whole  section  is  one  great 
symbol. 

"  It  is  Ezekiel's  peculiarity  not  to  picture  the  days  to 
come  in  general  outline,  but  thoroughly  to  enter  into 
and  appropriate  such  anticipations  of  the  future,  both  in 
inward  and  outward  respects.  Hence  he  does  not  simply 
foretell  the  re-erection  of  the  temple  and  holy  nation  in 
whose  midst  God  will  take  up  His  abode  for  ever ;  but 
this  perfect  restoration  of  God's  house,  in  which  nothing 
that  ever  belonged  to  it  will  be  lost,  is  carried  out  before 

^  Hengsteuberg,   The  Prophecies  of  the  Prophet  EzeJciely  p.  348, 
Ediu.  1874. 


EZEKIEL.  285 

his  eyes  to  the  least  minutiae.  In  this  process,  indeed, 
the  0.  T.  limitation  asserts  itself  more  strongly  than  in 
the  prophets  elsewhere,  while  often  transcended  in  spirit 
it  cannot  be  permanently  overcome  by  the  existing  power 
of  conception.  In  great  measure  the  picture  is  only  a 
prophecy  of  the  true  consummation  of  God's  kingdom,  in 
so  far  as  the  Mosaic  cultus  is  so  also.  Here,  where 
prophecy  sketches  the  concrete  shape  of  the  future 
Church,  it  falls  back  into  the  typical.  It  is  a  descrip- 
tion of  God's  perfect  residence  in  the  imperfect  figurative 
language  of  the  Old  Covenant."  ^ 

It  is  necessary  for  us  to  remember  that  the  symbolism 
is  elaborate  and  intricate,  but  this  is  in  order  to  set  forth 
clearly  and  strongly  the  ideal  that  it  is  our  privilege  to 
determine. 

The  temple  of  Ezekiel  is  situated  on  an  exceeding  high 
mountain,  as  in  Micah  and  Isaiah.^  It  is  a  stately 
structure  like  a  city.  It  is  enclosed  in  a  wall,  a  reed 
high,  and  is  five  hundred  cubits  square,  and  has  an  outer 
border  of  fifty  cubits.  This  area  is  in  the  midst  of  a 
sacred  portion  of  Jahveh,  assigned  to  the  priests  of  the 
line  of  Zadok,  25,000  x  10,000.  North  of  this  portion 
is  the  portion  of  the  Levites  of  the  same  dimensions.  On 
the  south  is  the  portion  of  the  city  of  equal  length,  but 
only  half  the  width.  The  portion  of  the  prince  extends 
along  the  east  and  west  sides  of  these  three  portions.  The 
holy  land  is  a  narrow  strip  along  the  Mediterranean  Sea, 
from  Hamath  to  the  river  of  Egypt,  all  of  it  on  the  west 
of  the  Jordan.  The  tribes  receive  their  portion  beginning 
at  the  north.  Seven  are  on  the  north  of  the  four  reserved 
portions,  in  the  order,  Dan,  Asser,  Naphtali,  Manasseh, 
Ephraim,  Eeuben,  Judah.  Five  are  on  the  south,  in  the 
order,  Benjamin,  Simeon,  Issachar,  Zebulon,  and  Gad :  This 

1  Orelli,  in  I.e.  pp.  373,  374. 
«  See  p.  181. 


286  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

arrangement  differs  so  greatly  from  the  original  division 
of  the  land  that  it  must  be  regarded  as  a  new  arrange- 
ment. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  discern  the  ideal  element  here. 
The  land  of  the  restoration  is  to  be  distributed  among 
the  tribes  of  Israel  in  accordance  with  the  new  con- 
ditions and  circumstances  that  may  arise.  The  temple 
of  Ezekiel  is  separated  from  the  holy  city,  each  of  these 
having  its  own  sacred  enclosure.  The  temple  is  in  the 
midst  of  the  portion  of  the  faithful  and  holy  priests  of  the 
Une  of  Zadok.  It  is  to  be  regarded  as  vastly  more 
sacred  than  the  ancient  temple.  It  is  much  more 
magnificent,  and  is  more  carefully  guarded.  The  walls  of 
the  temple  enclosure  are  like  the  walls  of  a  city,  and  they 
have  three  gates  of  elaborate  construction  and  stately 
buildings  in  which  are  the  guard-rooms  of  the  Levitical 
priests.  Access  to  the  sacred  places  is  guarded  with 
extreme  care. 

At  the  distance  of  1 0  0  cubits  from  the  outer  gates  are 
three  inner  gates  leading  to  the  inner  court.  These  are 
of  the  same  stately  character  as  the  outer  gates,  only  the 
apartments  of  the  north  and  south  gates  are  places  of 
purification  for  the  washing  and  slaughter  of  the  victims, 
and  they  have  associated  with  them  in  the  outer  court 
additional  buildings  containing  dressing-rooms  for  the 
priests.  The  east  gate  is  the  gate  through  which  Jahveh 
enters  to  take  possession  of  the  temple.  After  the  divine 
entry  in  theophany,  the  outer  gate  must  remain  closed 
for  ever.  The  east  gate  of  the  inner  court  is  to  be 
opened  on  the  sabbaths  and  new  moons,  and  the  prince 
is  to  enter  therein  and  worship  at  the  threshold  while  the 
priests  offer  his  offerings.  It  is  also  to  be  opened  for  the 
prince  to  make  a  free-will  offering. 

The  inner  court  is  100  cubits  square.  None  but  the 
priests  of  the  line  of  Zadok  can  enter  it.     The  Levitical 


EZEKIEL.  287 

priests  are  degraded  from  the  priesthood  for  unfaithful- 
ness, and  are  assigned  the  duty  of  guarding  the  outer 
court  of  the  temple.  But  the  line  of  Zadok  are  exalted 
to  higher  privileges  of  sanctity  owing  to  their  faithfulness.-^ 
This  is  an  unfolding  of  the  Messianic  idea  of  the 
covenant  with  Phinehas,  the  faithful  priesthood  that  was 
to  be  substituted  for  the  house  of  Eli,  and  the  eternal 
priesthood  of  the  prediction  of  Jeremiah.^  The  priests  of 
the  line  of  Zadok  are  clothed  in  pure  white  linen  in 
their  ministry.  These  garments  are  to  be  worn  in  the 
ministry  in  the  inner  court,  and  are  to  be  deposited  in 
the  halls  for  the  priests.  The  priests  are  to  keep  them- 
selves from  every  form  of  impurity.  They  are  the 
ministers  of  the  inner  court  of  the  temple,  and  as  such  are 
exalted  in  holiness  beyond  anything  that  had  been  pre- 
viously prescribed.  The  priests  of  the  new  dispensation 
are  to  be  faithful  and  holy.  None  but  such  priests  will 
be  able  to  minister  before  Jahveh  when  He  comes  in  His 
glory.  The  priests  have  the  additional  office  of  instructing 
the  people  and  judging  causes  according  to  the  law  of 
Jahveh.  This  function  is  an  unfolding  of  the  provisions 
of  the  Deuteronomic  code.*  The  divine  instruction  flows 
forth  from  them  to  the  people  of  God.  The  temple  is 
situated  in  the  inner  court.  It  is  of  the  same  size  and 
general  character  as  the  temple  of  Solomon.  But  it  is 
distinguished  by  the  absence  of  the  ark  of  the  covenant 
from  the  most  holy  place.  Here  Ezekiel  is  in  entire 
accord  with  Jeremiah.*  The  glory  of  Jahveh,  which  has 
entered  through  the  east  gates,  has  filled  the  house  and 
dwells  there  for  ever.  Furthermore,  the  temple  has  no 
lamp-stand,  and  it  combines  the  altar  of  incense  and  the 
table  of  shew-bread  of  the  old  temple  in  the  one  wooden 

1  Ezek.  xl.  46,  xliii.  19,  xliv.  15  seq. 

«  See  pp.  110,  122,  246.  »  Deut.  xyii. 

*  Jer.  iii.  14-18.     iSee  p.  242. 


288  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

altar  table  before  Jahveli.  Tlie  inner  court  has  no  lavera 
and  no  brazen  sea,  for  the  places  for  purification  are  in 
the  chambers  of  the  inner  gates  and  the  halls  of  the 
priests.  The  only  thing  in  the  court  is  the  great  altar 
upon  which  the  offerings  to  Jahveh  are  made.  And 
thus  there  is  greater  simplicity  in  the  furniture  of  the 
new  temple,  as  greater  stress  is  laid  upon  the  glory  of 
Jahveh  that  occupies  it  and  the  sanctity  of  His  priest- 
hood. 

The  offerings  embrace  the  same  kinds  as  the  priest 
code,  and  yet  the  ritual  is  simpler  and  differently 
arranged.  The  offerings  are  all  to  be  made  by  the 
priests  of  the  line  of  Zadok  who  receive  them  from  the 
prince  whose  duty  it  is  to  provide  them.  The  prince 
receives  them  from  the  people.  This  gradation  of 
responsibility  in  providing  and  making  the  offerings  is  a 
better  security  than  the  looser  provisions  of  the  priest- 
code.  The  ritual  service  embraces  the  morning  sacrifice, 
the  sabbaths,  the  new  moons,  passover,  and  tabernacles. 
No  mention  is  made  of  the  evening  sacrifice,  Pentecost, 
the  feast  of  trumpets,  or  the  day  of  atonement.  On  the 
other  hand,  there  is  a  special  emphasis  upon  the  first  and 
the  seventh  days  of  the  first  month,  in  the  offering  of  the 
sin-offerings  of  expiation,  that  seems  to  exclude  the  day 
of  atonement  of  the  priest-code.  These  sin-offerings 
differ  from  the  sin-offerings  of  the  day  of  atonement  in 
that  they  consist  of  a  bullock,  and  that  the  blood  is 
applied  to  the  door-posts  of  the  temple,  the  corners  of 
the  base  of  the  altar,  and  the  gate-posts  of  the  inner 
court,  to  purify  the  sanctuary  and  cleanse  it  in  its  most 
essential  parts  from  the  uncleanness  of  the  people  in 
which  it  was  situated.  As  the  inner  court  is  the  place 
of  sacrifice  into  whicli  only  the  Zadokite  priests  may 
enter,  and  from  which  even  the  other  Levitical  priests 
are  excluded,  so  it  appears  that  even  the  Zadokite  priests 


EZEKIEL.  289 

are  not  permitted  to  enter  the  temple  itself,  for  the  hlood 
of  the  most  sacred  sin-offering,  which  in  the  prescription 
of  the  priest  code  is  taken  into  the  holiest  of  all  and 
applied  to  the  base  of  the  throne  of  Jahveh,  the  Kafiporeth 
above  the  ark  of  the  covenant,  is  here  applied  only  to 
the  doors  of  the  temple.  It  appears  that  the  whole 
temple  has  assumed  the  sanctity  of  the  holy  of  holies  of 
the  Solomonic  temple,  and  there  is  no  high  priest  in 
Ezekiel's  representation  to  enter  even  the  outer  room  of 
the  temple.  This  is  in  keeping  with  the  absence  of 
the  ark  of  the  covenant,  the  lamp-stand,  the  shew-bread 
and  the  incense,  and  the  limitation  of  the  temple 
furniture  to  a  simple  altar  table  before  Jahveh. 

The  ideal  of  Ezekiel  thus  emphasizes  so  greatly  the  sanc- 
tity of  the  new  temple  and  its  priesthood  that  it  increases 
the  difficulty  of  access  to  God.  This  at  first  seems  to  be 
a  decline  in  the  development  of  prophecy  rather  than  an 
advance,  and  to  be  far  from  what  we  should  expect  in  a 
Messianic  prediction.  But  we  observe  that  the  pro- 
phet has  in  view  just  this  thing,  to  exalt  the  majesty  and 
sanctity  of  the  new  temple  and  its  ritual ;  and  if  the 
difficulty  of  access  is  enhanced  here,  it  is  relieved  in 
part  by  the  provision  of  faithful  and  holy  priests  of  the 
line  of  Zadok  who  are  all  alike  faithful  and  holy,  and 
who  need  no  high  priest  of  superior  rank  and  sanctity 
to  mediate  for  them  with  God.  It  is  also  still  further 
relieved  by  the  prophecy  that  we  have  already  con- 
sidered where  a  new  spirit  and  a  heart  of  flesh  were 
promised  to  God's  people.^  If  the  prophet  dwells  on  the 
external  here,  and  presses  it  even  to  extremities,  he 
certainly  is  no  less  extreme  in  his  unfolding  of  the 
internal  there.  The  holy  land  of  the  restoration  will 
solve  all  these  paradoxes.  Each  prediction  is  a  separate 
glance  into  a  future  that  is  transcendently  glorious. 
1  See  p.  274. 
T 


290  MESSIANIC  PKOPHECY. 

The  time  had  not  yet  come  for  faithfulness  and 
sanctity,  the  characteristic  features  of  the  line  of  Zadok, 
to  be  extended  to  the  entire  people  as  a  kingdom  of 
priests.  And  the  great  high  priest  who  was  to  embody 
these  traits  of  character  in  perfection  had  not  yet  risen 
from  the  line  of  Zadok  as  its  culmination.  The  pre- 
diction is  absorbed  in  the  glories  of  the  divine  advent, 
and  the  second  David  appears  merely  as  the  princely 
head  of  the  nation,  providing  the  national  sacrifices  to  be 
offered  by  the  priests  of  the  line  of  Zadok,  and  leading 
the  nation  in  its  devotions. 

The  prophecy  concludes  with  a  description  of  the 
river  of  life  issuing  from  the  temple.  This  stream  we 
have  already  found  in  Joel,  Isaiah,  and  the  Psalter.^  But 
our  prophet  is  much  more  elaborate.  He  describes  it  as  it 
trickles  down  from  the  side  of  the  gate,  then  increasing 
as  it  goes  with  wonderful  rapidity  so  that  its  waters  rise 
about  the  soles  of  the  feet,  to  the  knees,  to  the  loins,  and 
finally  become  a  flood  that  cannot  be  passed.  These 
waters  are  waters  of  life.  They  impart  life  to  the  waste 
and  desolate  regions,  so  that  even  the  waters  and  banks  of 
the  Dead  Sea  are  healed  and  filled  with  life,  with  the 
exception  of  a  few  salt  tracks  reserved  for  desolation. 
On  the  banks  of  the  stream  are  trees  of  life,  with  healing 
leaves  and  monthly  fruits.^  The  prophet  thus  uses  the 
imagery  of  the  garden  of  Eden  to  show  that  in  his  con- 
ception Paradise  is  to  be  restored  and  attached  to  the 
new  Jerusalem.^  The  prophecy  concludes  with  the 
name  of  the  city,  "  Jahveh  is  tliere^'  which  reminds  us  of 
the  name  of  the  same  city  in  Jeremiah,*  "  Jahveh  is  our 
righteousness." 

1  See  pp.  158  seq.,  211,  and  214. 

2  Ezek.  xlvii.  1-12. 

*  This  conception  of  Ezekiel  is  resumed  in  Rev.  xxii. 

*  See  p.  246. 


CHAPTEE  X. 

PROPHETIC  VOICES  OUT  OF  THE  EXILE. 

The  destruction  of  Jerusalem  by  Nebuchadnezzar,  king 
of  Babylon,  and  the  removal  of  its  inhabitants  into  exile, 
seemed  to  be  the  death  of  the  Jewish  nation.  But  the 
destruction  of  the  temple  and  its  furniture  by  fire,  and 
the  desecration  of  its  sacred  places  by  the  tramp  of  the 
heathen,  seemed  to  the  pious  Jew  still  more  dreadful.  It 
looked  as  if  God  had  abandoned  His  people,  and  that  the 
national  religion  had  died  also.  But  the  religion  of 
Jahveh  was  indestructible.  It  was  not  to  perish  with 
the  exile  of  the  nation  as  so  many  other  religions  had 
perished.  In  the  greatest  calamities  it  displayed  its 
power.  It  rose  fresh  and  vigorous  from  the  ruins  of  its 
holy  places.  These  were  but  the  external  forms  of  the 
religion  of  Jahveh,  and  not  the  religion  itself.  It  at 
once  assumed  newer  and  higher  forms  suited  to  the  con- 
dition of  the  exile,  and  it  pointed  forward  to  forms  of 
external  manifestation  that  infinitely  transcend  the 
ancient  forms.  The  destruction  of  the  holy  city  and 
temple  was  indeed  the  work  of  Jahveh  Himself.  The 
Chaldean  was  His  servant,  to  accomplish  His  purpose  of 
chastisement  upon  His  people.  This  chastisement  was 
a  striking  to  death,  a  turning  the  world  upside  down ; 
but  the  Chaldean,  like  the  Assyrian  before  him,  is  to 
perish  in  the  divine  judgment  that  wiU  come  upon  him 
for  his  sins.  Israel  will  rise  from  the  dead  and  a  new 
world  will  take  the  place  of  the  old. 

291 


292  MESSIANIC  PKOPHECY. 

In  these  times  of  exile  Jahveh  raised  np  His  greatest 
prophet,  one  who  mastered  the  situation,  grasped  the  pro- 
blem of  the  exile,  and  saw  its  solution  in  a  great  act  of 
divine  judgment  and  of  redemption.  The  name  of  this  pro- 
phet has  not  been  handed  down  to  posterity.  He  issued 
his  prophecies  anonymously.  They  were  circulated 
among  his  countrymen  in  the  different  regions  of  the 
dispersion.  It  was  not  likely  that  he  could  safely 
attach  his  name  to  his  predictions,  or  that  they  could  be 
circulated  in  public  during  the  period  of  the  Babylonian 
supremacy.  His  prophecies  were  issued  from  time  to 
time,  and  subsequently  gathered  into  that  masterly  poem 
that  is  contained  in  chaps,  xl.— Ixvi.  of  Isaiah.  It  seems 
to  us  that  chaps,  xiii.-xiv.  and  chaps,  xxxiv.— xxxv.  of 
Isaiah  are  from  the  same  great  author.  They  are  so 
complete  in  themselves,  and  of  such  length,  that  he  did 
not  deem  it  best  to  include  them  in  his  final  collection. 
Indeed,  they  are  the  preludes  to  his  great  composition. 

The  great  unknown  did  not  stand  alone.  There  were 
others  associated  with  him  who  have  left  us  their  pro- 
phecies. Some  of  these  are  also  contained  in  the  Book 
of  Isaiah,  and  others  are  preserved  in  the  Psalter.  The 
literary  difterence  between  these  writings  and  those  that 
w^ere  issued  previous  to  the  exile  is  well  stated  by  Ewald  : 
"All  the  writings  which  arose  in  this  transition  time  are 
alike  in  this,  that  they  bear  the  common  impress  of  being 
purely  literary  productions,  and  exhibit  no  traces  whatever 
of  a  previous  public  prophetic  work  and  speech.  In  the 
case  of  the  earlier  prophets,  every  book,  indeed  almost 
every  piece,  is  a  glass  through  which  we  can  clearly 
discern  by  a  hundred  signs  the  public  work  of  the  pro- 
phet which  lies  behind  it ;  and  even  in  the  Book  of 
Hezeqiel  a  large  portion  of  his  public  life  and  work  is 
interwoven,  at  least  of  the  time  before  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem.      Now,   however,   after   the    peoj^le   had   for 


PROPHETIC  VOICES  OUT  OF  THE  EXILE.  293 

many  decades  entirely  lost  their  freedom,  and  conse- 
quently the  captivity  had  long  silenced  the  public 
ministry  of  all  the  prophets  of  Israel,  a  longer  or  shorter 
book,  though  bearing  the  outward  form  used  by  the  old 
prophets,  nevertheless  could  no  longer  be  the  ripe  fruit  of 
public  labours,  and  could  nowhere  show  real  traces  of 
them.  The  word  had  no  choice  but  to  adopt  literature 
as  its  vehicle ;  the  prophet  was  compelled  to  become  a 
writer.  These  writings  came  forth  indeed  from  the 
heart  of  this  excited  and  agitated  time,  for  the  most  part 
without  much  elaboration  as  genuine  pamphlets  of  the 
day,  reflecting  with  the  freshest  life  and  warmth  the 
feelings  of  the  passing  day,  and  speaking  straight  from 
the  heart ;  yet  throughout,  as  proceeding  simply  from 
the  inspiration  of  an  individual,  not  as  from  the  public 
national  life  of  Israel.  And  really  this  is  a  chief  mark 
which  distinguishes  all  these  pieces  from  those  of  the 
older  prophets;  they  may  indeed  be  recognized  by  a 
hundred  other  signs,  and  the  more  closely  we  compare 
them  with  older  pieces,  the  more  evidence  we  find  that 
they  could  not  have  been  written  earlier  than  in  this 
extraordinary  time.  But  this  one  mark  is  of  the  greatest 
significance  ;  any  one  who  is  really  acquainted  with  the 
older  prophets,  will  feel  that  writings  which  exhibit  in  every 
respect  the  characteristics  of  literary  effort  and  diction 
must  belong  to  quite  another  sphere  of  prophetic  labour."^ 
Whatever  opinion  of  their  authorship  may  be  held, 
these  writings  take  their  place  in  the  exile,  so  far  as  the 
development  of  the  Messianic  idea  is  concerned.  They 
exhibit  a  marked  advance  beyond  Jeremiah  and  Zepha- 
niah ;  and  the  great  unknown  is  certainly  at  a  higher 
stage  of  religious  development  than  Ezekiel.^ 

1  Ewald,  Prophets,  English  edition,  iv.  pp.  228,  229. 
These  pieces  all  exhibit  features  of  the  period  of  the  exile. 
Those  who  still  maintain  that  Isaiah  was  their  author  admit  this, 


294     .  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

The  sufferings  of  the  Jews  as  they  went  forth  into 
exile  were  greatly  enhanced  by  the  cruelty  of  the 
neighbouring  tribes  of  Moab  and  Edom,  who  were  united 
by  ancient  ties  of  kinship.  These  joined  with  the 
oppressor  in  the  bitterest  hours  of  Judah,  and  without 
cause  outdid  the  Babylonian  in  deeds  of  violence  and 
crime.  It  was  natural,  therefore,  that  Israel's  hope  of 
restoration  should  be  mingled  with  anticipations  of  judg- 
ment upon  these  nations  as  well  as  upon  the  great  world- 


and  hold  that  these  pieces  are  apocalypses,  in  which  the  situation  of 
the  prophet  is  ideal  as  well  as  the  predictions  themselves.  But 
there  is  no  reason  for  such  a  violent  hypothesis.  It  is  a  law  of  pro- 
phecy that  the  historical  situation  of  the  prophet  should  be  the  basis 
of  his  prediction.  See  p.  56;  also  A.  B.  Davidson,  The  Ex- 
positor, August  1885,  p.  86 ;  and  Orelli  in  I.e.  p.  415.  This  alone 
makes  the  prediction  useful  to  his  contemporaries.  There  is  no 
reason  for  an  anticipation  of  the  situation  of  the  exile  in  the  age  of 
Hezekiah  to  make  it  the  basis  of  a  prediction  of  the  iMessianic 
time.  God  does  not  raise  up  prophets  before  their  time.  He  does 
not  give  predictions  until  they  are  needed.  Isaiah  lived  in  the 
Assyrian  period,  and  his  prophecies  dealt  with  that  period  and  its 
issues.  The  prophecies  we  are  now  to  consider  all  deal  with  the 
Babylonian  period  and  its  relation  to  the  Messianic  age.  Tlie 
theology  of  these  pieces  is  in  decided  advance  beyond  that  of  Isaiah 
— all  along  the  line  of  doctrine,  religion,  and  morals.  It  is  also  in 
advance  of  Jeremiah  and  of  Ezekiel.  There  are  sufficient  evidences 
that  these  authors  were  familiar  with  Isaiah,  but  there  are  also 
evidences  no  less  great  of  their  use  of  Jeremiah,  Zephaniah  and 
other  prophets.  It  is  indeed  characteristic  of  the  great  unknown 
that  he  grasps  the  theology  of  the  past,  and  reconstructs  it  for  the 
future  in  higher  and  grander  forms. 

The  language  of  these  pieces  is  also  different  from  that  of  the  age 
of  Hezekiah  or  of  Josiah.  There  are  large  numbers  of  words  of 
late  formation.  But  the  most  striking  feature  is  the  difference  in 
syntax.  The  syntax  of  this  prophet  is  at  a  considerable  stage  of 
decay  beyond  that  of  Jeremiah,  and  is  nearer  to  Ezekiel  in  its 
neglect  of  the  vav  consecutive  and  use  of  the  simple  vav.  This  is 
all  the  more  striking  in  a  prophet  of  such  elegance  of  style  as  the 
grent  unknown  shows  himself  to  be  throughout  his  poem.  It  is 
sufficient  for  us  to  state  that  the  four  great  principles  of  internal 
evidence,  upon  which  the  science  of  the  higher  criticism  depends, 
are  decidedly  in  favour  of  exilic  writers  for  these  compositions, 
namely — (I)  Their  historical  situation  ;  (2)  their  style  ;  (3)  their 
theology ;  (4)  their  depending  upon  Zephaniah  and  Jeremiah  and 


PROPHETIC  VOICES  OUT  OF  THE  EXILE.  295 

power,  Babylon.  There  are  several  predictions  of  this 
kind  belonging  to  the  early  days  of  the  exile,  from  prophets 
who  had  themselves  witnessed  the  destruction  of  the  city. 
The  most  important  of  these  is  the  apocalypse  contained 
in  Isa.  xxiv.-xxvii.^  This  is  one  of  the  finest  pieces  of 
poetry  in  the  Old  Testament.  It  is  composed  of  twelve 
strophes  in  the  hexameter  movement,  and  is  remarkable 
for  its  alliteration,  rhyme  and  play  upon  words ;  ^  in  all 

other  prophets.  The  external  evidences  in  favour  of  their  com- 
position by  Isaiah  are  purely  traditional.  They  rest  upon  nothing 
more  substantial  than  the  fact  that  the  sections  were  appended  to 
Isaiah  at  an  early  period.  It  is  noteworthy  that  there  is  an  histori- 
cal section  xxxvi.-xxxix.,  which  includes  a  prediction  of  Isaiah  and 
a  song  of  Hezekiah.  This  clearly  was  designed  to  be  the  close  of 
the  book  by  the  editor  who  made  it.  It  is  extremely  improbable 
that  any  editor  or  author  would  have  inserted  such  an  historical 
section  before  the  great  prophecy.  It  is  probable  that  these  anony- 
mous writings  were  appended  to  Isaiah  in  order  to  make  the  book 
of  similar  size  with  the  other  three  great  prophetic  books,  Jeremiah, 
Ezekiel  and  the  Twelve.  It  is  also  noteworthy  that  Isaiah  is  placed 
third  in  order,  in  the  most  ancient  Jewish  tradition,  between  Ezekiel 
and  the  Twelve,  as  if  its  composite  character  was  recognized.  And 
the  Talmud  represents  that  the  work  M^as  edited  by  the  college  of 
Hezekiah  and  not  by  the  prophet  himself.  See  my  Biblical  Study, 
p.  176. 

^  This  piece  has  so  many  peculiarities  of  style  and  doctrine,  that 
it  must  be  ascribed  to  an  anonymous  author,  who  has  left  this  piece 
as  his  only  literary  monument.  See  Knobel,  Jesaia,  p.  205  seq., 
4  Aufl.  There  is  some  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  exact  location 
of  the  prophecy  in  the  period  of  the  exile.  It  is  not  easy  to  deter- 
mine this  question.  It  seems  to  me  to  belong  to  the  earlier  years 
of  the  exile,  when  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  and  the  evil  conduct 
of  Moab  were  fresh  to  the  experience  of  the  people. 

*  The  word-play  of  these  lines  should  be  noted — 

nnn  nnm  x^^r\  pun  p^ir\  xxiv.  3. 
ijan  rh2:  n^b?os  pxn  nba:  rh^^  xxiv.   4. 

nn  Dnn  nni  \-\n  Dnn  xxiv.  le. 

Y-\^r\  nm"'  rvhv  nai  nnsi  ^ns  xxiv.  17. 

pN  HDDlDnn  DID  pN*  minsnn  -iid  pwS  nyy-inn  y-i  xxiv.  19. 

D''-l?^*k^♦  nnt^'D  n^^i2^  ^n:^'D  xxv.     6. 

D^'^pT^D  Dnro:^'  cn'^ro  D^Jn*L^•  xxv.     6. 

ann  vj-in  ii.iD  n«  r\'2n  \t\2'd  d^ddh  xxvii.  7. 


296  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

these  respects  transcending  every  other  piece  of  Hebrew 
poetry. 

I.    THE  DESTEUCTION  OF  THE  GREAT  METROPOLIS  AND  THE 
ANNIHILATION  OF  DEATH  AND  SORROW. 

§  85.  This  aiiocalyiise  clcrpicU  the,  judgment  of  the  nations, 
among  whom  Moab  and  the  great  world  -  poiucrs,  the 
leviathan  Babylon  and  the  dragon  Egypt,  are  especially 
mentioned.  The  earth  staggers  like  a  drunkard  and 
swings  like  a  hamriiock.  It  is  utterly  laid  waste,  and  all 
classes  and  conditions  of  its  population  are  scattered.  The 
ki7igs  of  the  earth  and  the  evil  powers  of  the  heaven  are  shut 
up  in  the  dungeon  and  are  punished.  The  wicked  oppressors 
will  die  for  ever.  But  Israel's  corpse  belongs  to  Jahveh.  The 
light  of  life  will  quicJcen  their  dead  bodies,  and  their  shades 
will  come  forth  from  Sheol.  Death  and  sorroiv  ivill  be 
abolished  for  ever.  The  people  will  be  gathered  one  by  one 
from  all  lands  of  their  exile,  and  restored  to  Mount  ZioUy 
where  they  will  unite  luith  all  nations  in  the  banqitet  pro- 
vided for  them  by  Jahveh. 

L   "  Behold,  Jahveh  is  about  to  make  the  earth  empty,  and  make 

it  waste, 
And  turn  it  upside  down,  and  scatter  abroad  the  inhabitants 

thereof. 
And  it  will  be  as  with  the  people,  so  with  the  priest ;  as 

with  the  servant,  so  with  his  master  ; 
As  with  the  maid,  so  with  her  mistress  ;  as  with  the  buyer, 

so  with  the  seller  ; 
As  with  the  lender,  so  with  the  borrower ;  as  with  the  taker 

of  usury,  so  with  the  giver  of  usury  to  him. 
The  earth  will  be  utterly  emptied,  and   it  will  be  utterly 

spoiled  : 
Yerily,  Jahveh  hath  spoken  this  word. 
The  earth   doth  mourn,  doth  fade  away,  the  world   doth 

languish,  doth  fade  away. 


PKOrHETIC  VOICES  OUT  OF  THE  EXILE.  297 

The  highnesses  ^  of  the  earth  do  languish,  the  earth  also  is 

polluted  under  the  inhabitants  thereof  : 
Because  they  have  transgresssed  the  instructions,  changed  the 

ordinance,  broken  the  everlasting  covenant. 

II.  Therefore  the  curse  doth  devour  the  earth,  and  they  that 

dwell  therein  are  found  guilty  : 
Therefore  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  are  burned,  and  few 

men  left. 
The  new  wine  doth  mourn,  the  vine  doth  languish,  all  the 

merry-hearted  do  sigh. 
The  mirth  of  tabrets  doth  cease,    the  noise  of   them   that 

rejoice  doth  end,  the  joy  of  the  harp  doth  cease. 
They  cannot  drink  wine  with  a  song  ;  strong  drink  is  bitter 

to  them  that  drink  it. 
The  city  of  chaos  ^  is  broken  down  :  every  house  is  shut  up, 

that  no  man  may  come  in. 
There  is  a  crying  in  the  streets  because  of  the  wine  ;  all  joy 

is  darkened,  the  mirth  of  the  land  is  gone  into  captivity. 
In  the  city  is  left  desolation  ;  and  the  gate  is  smitten  with 

destruction. 
For  thus  will  it  be  in  the  midst  of  the  earth  among  the 

peoples. 
As  the  beating  of  an  olive  tree,  as  the  grape  gleanings  when 

the  vintage  is  done. 

HI.  Those  lift  up  their  voice,  they  shout ; 

Because  of  the  majesty  of  Jahveh,  they  do  cry  aloud  from 

the  sea. 
Therefore  the  glory  ^  of  Jahveh  is  in  the  coasts,* 
The  name  of  Jahveh,  the  God  of  Israel,  in  the  coasts  of  the  sea. 

^  D11D  must  have  the  same  meaning  here  as  in  ver.  21,  where  it 
is  clearly  a  collective  ;  so  Knobel  and  the  margin  of  the  K.V. 
Cheyne  renders  quite  aj^propriately  "  highnesses."  This  line  is 
completed  in  the  first  half  of  the  next  verse. 

^  inn  JT'ip.  The  city  or  town  is  doomed  to  VID,  that  is,  the 
original  chaotic  condition  of  the  earth  before  the  creation  of  light 
(Gen.  i.  2). 

3  The  pointing  of  the  Massoretic  text  1123  is  against  the  context. 

The  LXX.  read  T)D3,  which  is  better  suited  to  the  parallel  Dt^,  and 
to  the  context,  which  is  not  an  exhortation,  but  a  statement  of  a  fact. 
There  has  been  a  transposition  of  v     See  also  ver.  23. 

*  DnX3  is  difficult.  It  is  omitted  by  the  LXX.  The  Vulgate 
renders  in  doctrijiis,  thinking  of  the  iri7n  and  Thumnmn,    Gesenius 


298  MESSIANIC  PKOrnECY. 

From  the  skirt  of  the  earth  have  we  heard  songs,  *  glory  to 

the  righteous.' 
I  said,  I  pine  away,  I  pine  away,  woe  is  me  ! 
The  treacherous  dealers  have  dealt  treacherously  ;  yea,  the 

treacherous  dealers  have  dealt  very  treacherously. 
Fear,  and  the  pit,  and  the  snare  are  upon  thee,  0  inhabitant 

of  the  earth. 
And  it  will  come  to  pass,  that  he  who  fleeth  from  the  noise 

of  the  fear  will  fall  into  the  pit ; 
And  he  that  cometh  up  out  of  the  midst  of  the  pit  will  be 

taken  in  the  snare. 

IV.  For  the  windows  on  high  are  opened,  and  the  foundations  of 

the  earth  do  shake. 
The  earth  is  utterly  broken,^  the  earth  is  clean  dissolved,  the 

earth  is  entirely  moved. 
The  earth  staggereth  like  a  drunken  man,  and  moveth  to  and 

fro  like  a  hammock  ;  ^ 
And  the  transgression  thereof  rests  heavy  upon  it,  and  it 

falls,  and  will  not  rise  again. 
And  it  will  come  to  pass  in  that  day,  Jahveh  will  visit, 
Upon  the  host  of  the  high  ones  ^  on  high,  and  upon  the  kings 

of  the  earth  upon  the  earth. 


renders,  region  of  light,  and  is  followed  by  the  E.Y.  It  is  better, 
with  Lowth,  Hitzig,  Knobel,  and  Cheyne,  to  read  D''''X3.  This  is 
favoured  by  the  style  of  the  author.  He  first  mentions  the  praise 
as  coming  from  the  sea,  u^tD  ;  then  in  the  coasts  D^^X3,  and  finally 
combines  them  in  DNT  ^^S<:2.  The  omission  of  the  LXX.  is  due 
probably  to  the  feeling  that  D^'t<  was  merely  a  repetition,  and 
without  force. 

^  The  Massoretic  text  should  be  corrected  by  striking  out  the  n 
of  nyi,  which  is  an  anomalous  form,  and  against  the  analogy  of 
lis  and  DIO-  It  has  arisen  by  repeating  the  initial  n  of  the  next 
word.  pt^n  should  be  deprived  of  the  n,  which  is  against  the 
analogy  of  the  other  clauses,  and  has  arisen  by  repeating  the  closing 
n  of  the  previous  word.  Moreover,  the  rhythm  requires  the  striking 
out  of  these  two  unnecessary  syllables  in  a  line  sufficiently  long 
without  them.  The  line  is  composed  of  three  parts  of  two  accents 
each. 

'  njiprr  is  rendered  by  the  R.V.  hut ;  but  it  is  better,  after  Knobel, 
Gesenius,  Ewald,  and  Cheyne,  to  render  liammock. 

^  Ihe  host  of  the  high  in  the  height  are  the  heavenly  host, 
including  possibly  the  angel  princes  of  the  nations  in  hostility  to 
Israel,  who  are  contrasted  with  the  kings  of  the  earth's  surface. 


PROPHETIC  VOICES  OUT  OF  THE  EXILE.  299 

And  they  will  be  gathered  together,  as  prisoners  are  gathered 
in  a  dungeon,!  and  shut  up  in  the  prison. 

And  after  many  days  will  they  be  visited,  and  the  moon  will 
be  confounded,  and  the  sun  ashamed  ; 

For  Jahveh  Sabaoth  doth  reign  ^  in  Mount  Zion  and  in 
Jerusalem, 

And  before  his  eldei-s  will  be  glory.  ^ 

V.     Jahveh,  thou  art  my  God :  I  will  exalt  thee,  I  will  praise 

thy  name  ; 
For  thou  hast  done  wonderful  things,  counsels  of  old,  perfect 

faithfulness. 
For  tliou  hast  made  of  a  city  an  heap ;  of  a  defenced  city  a  ruin : 
A  palace  of  strangers  to  be  no  city  ;  one  that  will  never  be 

built, 
Therefore  will  a  strong  people  glorify  thee,  the  city  of  the 

terrible  nations  will  fear  thee. 
For  thou  art  a  stronghold  to  the  poor,  a  stronghold  to  the 

needy  in  his  distress, 
A  refuge  from  the  storm,  a  shadow  from  the  heat, 
For  the  blast  against  the  terrible  ones  ^  is  as  a  storm  against 

a  wall. 

This  is  a  conception  that  belongs  to  the  exile,  and  the  times  that 
follow.  Cheyne  compares  Ps.  Ixxxii.,  where,  after  Bleek,  he  explains 
the  D\"l7i<  as  the  patron  spirits  of  the  nations.  See  also  Dan.  x.  1 3. 
Cheyne  also  refers  to  the  LXX.  of  Deut.  xxxii.  8,  "He  set  the 
bounds  of  the  nations  according  to  the  number  of  the  angels  of 
God."     Ewald  and  Delitzsch  also  think  of  the  evil  powers  of  heaven. 

!  The  pit  is  from  the  context  a  place  of  imprisonment,  so  that 
it  is  better  to  render  dungeon.  The  reference  may  be  to  the  prison 
house  of  Slieol,  where  the  evil  spirits  and  wicked  kings  are  reserved 
for  punishment.     See  2  Pet.  ii.  4  ;  Jude  6. 

2  "]^D  is  not  the  perfect  of  the  sui'e  future,  as  R.V.,  but  either 
"  hath  become  king,"  as  Cheyne,  or  "  doth  reign,"  as  an  emphatic 
present. 

^  The  last  line  is  a  shortened  line,  as  is  common  in  Hebrew 
strophes.  It  is  apart  from  the  previous  line,  and  does  not  qualify 
it,  but  has  its  own  copula.  The  elders  are  either  the  elders  of  the 
people  over  ag.iinst  the  evil  angels  and  kings,  or  the  heavenly  elders, 
a£  in  Eev.  iv.  4,  over  against  the  evil  host  of  the  high  on  high. 

*  ~\^p  DID  loses  its  dithculty  if  we  regard  it  as  parallel  with 
\V^2  nins,  and  make  the  line  begin  with  D''^'"iy  ni"!  ""J.  mi  is  then 
the  construct  of  the  object,  wind  or  blast  beating  against  the  terrible 
ones  as  a  storm  against  a  wall.     It  is  similar  to  "j>iv  ^^  of  xxvi.  11, 


300  MESSIA^^IC  PROPHECY. 

As  the  beat  in  a  dry  jjlace  wilt  thou  bring  down  the  noise 

of  strangers, 
As  the  heat  by  the  shadow  of  a  cloud,  the  song  of  the  terrible 

ones  will  be  brought  low. 

YI,  And   Jahveh   Sabaoth   will   make    for   all   peoples   in   this 

mountain 
A  banquet  ^  of  fat  things,  a  banquet  of  wine  on  the  lees, 
Of  fat  things  full  of  marrow,  of  wines  on  the  lees  well  refined, 
And  he  will  swallow  up  in  this  mountain  the  face  of  the- 

covering  that  is  cast  over  all  peoples. 
And  the  veil  that  is  spread  over  all  nations, 
He  doth  swallow  up  death  for  ever  ; 

And  'Adonay  Jahveh  will  wipe  away  tears  from  oflf  all  faces  ; 
And  the  reproach  of  his  people  will  he  take  away  from  off 

all  the  earth  :  verily,  Jahveh  hath  spoken  it. 
And  it  will  be  said  in  that  day,  Lo,  this  is  our  God  ;  we  have 

waited  for  him  to  save  us  : 
This  is  Jahveh  :  we  have  waited  for  him  to  be  glad  and 

rejoice  in  his  salvation. 

VII.  When  ^  the  hand  of  Jahveh  shall  rest  on  this  mountain, 

Moab  will  be  trodden  down  in  his  place,  even  as  straw  is 

trodden  down  in  the  water  of  the  dunghill. 
And  when  he  spreads  forth  his  hands  in  the  midst  thereof, 

as  he  that  swimnieth  spreadeth  forth  his  hands  to  swim  ; 
He  will  lay  low  his  pride  together  with  the  craft  of  his  hands, 

and  the  fortress  of  the  high  fort  of  thy  walls  : 
He  doth  bring  it  down,  lay  it  low,  and  bring  it  to  the  ground, 

even  to  the  dust. 
In  that  day  will  this  song  be  sung  in  the  land  of  Judah  : 
A  city  of  strength  have  we  :  salvation  is  put  for  walls  and 

ramparts. 

^  nn'J'?3  is  a  banquet.  It  is  not  a  feast  in  the  Biblical  sense, 
which  is  always  associated  with  sacrificial  meals  of  the  peace-offering. 
Even  Cheyne  has  been  misled  to  think  of  a  great  peace-offering  in 
which  Jahveh  is  the  host.  But  there  is  nothing  in  the  context  to 
suggest  such  a  thing.  The  peoples  are  rather  invited  to  a  rich 
banquet,  as  a  s}Tnbol  of  the  joy  of  the  great  deliverance  when  all 
sorrow  and  death  "wall  disappear. 

^  The  particle  "iD  introduces  a  new  stro]Dhe  and  a  temporal  clause. 
Moab  is  Drought  into  view,  in  order  to  contrast  his  ruin  with  the 
redemption  of  Jerusalem. 


PROPHETIC  VOICES  OUT  OF  THE  EXILE.  301 

Open  the  gates,  that  a  righteous  nation  keeping  faithfuhicss 
may  enter. 

One  in  purpose  firm  thou  keepest  in  peace ;  in  peace,  for  in 
thee  he  trusteth : 

Trust  in  Jahveh  for  ever  :  yea,  in  Jah  Jahveh  ^  a  rock  ever- 
lasting. 

VIII.  Verily  he  hath  brought  down  them  that  dwell  on  high,  a  city 

inaccessible  ; 
He  layeth  it  low,  he  layeth  it  low  even  to  the  earth ;  he 

bringeth  it  even  to  the  dust. 
The  foot  trampleth  it ;  the  feet  of  the  afflicted,  the  steps  of 

the  weak. 
The  righteous  hath  a  way:  smooth,  level,  thou  rollest  the 

path  of  the  righteous  : 
Yea,  on  the  way  of  thy  judgments,  Jahveh,  have  we  waited 

for  thee  :  to  thy  name  and  to  thy  memorial  is  the  desire 

of  our  soul. 
With  my  soul  have  I  desired  thee  in  the  night :  yea,  with 

my  spirit  within  me  I  seek  thee  early  : 
For  according  as  thy  judgments  are  in  the  earth,  the  inhabit- 
ants of  the  world  do  learn  righteousness. 
Should  favour  be  showed  to  the  wicked,  he  doth  not  learn 

righteousness,   in    the    land   of    uprightness    he    deals 

wrongfully ; 
And  he  beholds  not  the  majesty  of  Jahveh.     Jahveh,  should 

thy  hand  be  lifted  up,  they  see  it  not :  ^ 
Let  them  see  and  let  them  be  ashamed  ;  zeal  for  the  people, 

yea,  fire  for  thine  adversaries,  let  it  devour  them.^ 

^  nin''  nv  This  combination  of  divine  names  is  only  found  here 
and  in  xii.  2.  n"  is  a  shortened  form  of  ninv  It  is  not  infrequent 
in  Hebrew  poetry  by  itself.  It  is  thought  by  some  that  r\)r\^  here  is 
a  later  marginal  gloss.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  rhythm  of 
the  line  would  be  better  without  it,  and  the  omission  is  favoured  by 
theLXX. 

2  This  clause  is  parallel  with  the  first  clause  of  the  previous  line, 
giving  us  an  example  of  introverted  parallelism,  which  has  escaped 
the  notice  of  the  Massoretes,  who  connect  it  with  the  wrong  verse. 

^  "in^  t^'S  is  the  construct  of  the  object,  fire  against  thine  adver- 
saries in  antithesis  with  zeal  for  thy  people.  The  R.V.  folio \ys 
Knobel,  Delitzsch  and  most  interpreters  in  taking  the  suffix  m 
D^35<n  as  pleonastic.  The  advent  of  Jahveh  is  in  a  blaze  of  glory, 
which  on  the  one  side  is  zeal  for  His  people,  and  on  the  other  fire  to 
devour  their  adversaries. 


302  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

TX.  Jahveh,  thou  wilt  ordain  peace  for  us  :  for  thou  hast  also 

wrought  all  our  works  for  us. 
Jahveh  our  God,  other  lords  beside  thee  have  had  dominion 

over  us ; 
But  by  thee  only  will  we  make  mention  of  thy  name.^ 
They  are  dead,  they  shall  not  live ;  they  are  deceased,  they 

shall  not  rise  : 
Therefore  hast  thou  visited  and  destroyed  them,  and  made 

all  their  memory  to  perish. 
Thou  hast  increased  the  nation,  Jahveh,  thou  hast  increased 

the  nation,  thou  hast  glorified  thyself  :  thou  hast  enlarged 

all  the  borders  of  the  land. 
Jahveh,  in  trouble  they  visited  thee,  they  poured  out  a 

prayer  ^  when  thy  chastening  was  upon  them. 
Like  as  a  woman  with  child,  that  draweth  near  the  time  of 

her  delivery,  is  in  pain  and  crieth  out  in  her  pangs  ; 
So  have  we  been  before  thee,  Jahveh.     We  have  been  with 

child,  we  have  been  in  pain. 
We  have  as  it  were  brought  forth  wind  ;  we  have  not  wrought 

any  deliverance  in  the  earth  ;  neither  have  the  inhabit- 
ants of  the  world  fallen. 

X  Thy  dead  shall  live  ;  my  dead  body,^  they  will  arise. 
Awake  and  sing,  ye  that  dwell  in  the  dust : 


^  If  we  could  follow  the  LXX.  iKros  aov  oLxxou  ovk  ofhcti/,iv,  and 
insert  l^yT"  VO  before  -jn  13^,  we  would  have  a  better  line  than  the 
present  Hebrew  text. 

2  T^>rh  i^  the  whisper  of  incantation,  magic.  There  is  no  other 
example  of  its  use  in  a  good  sense.  And  yet  the  context  so  strongly 
urges  it  that  most  interpreters,  Knobel,  Nagelsbach,  Delitzsch, 
Cheyne  and  R.Y.  render  "  prayer."  But  Ewald  and  Bottcher  look 
for  a  solution  of  the  difficulty  'in  a  different  interpretation  of  ^s^:^'^. 
The  LXX.  i'j  6'Ki-^u  ^tx.poi  and  the  Vulgate  in  tribulatione  murvmris, 
suggested  to  Bottcher  the  rendering,  "  trouble  was  the  ban  of  thy 
chastisements."  Ewald  from  an  ^Ethiopic  word  gets  the  meaning 
ring,  circle,  and  renders  tm!?  Jlp^*'  "magic  circle."  The  rhythm 
forces  us  to  combine  these  two  words  by  a  Maqqeph.  This  favours 
taking  pp^;  as  a  noun.     The  LXX.  probably  read  the  text  "^n^  pOp. 

^  ^n^33  is  incorrectly  rendered  by  B.V.  "  my  dead  bodies."  It 
is  singular,  "  my  corpse."  Israel  is  here  conceived  in  its  unity  as  a 
nation.  It  lies  dead  in  the  dust  of  the  grave,  but  it  belongs  to 
Jahveh  and  will  rise  again.  Ewald  and  others  render  the  imper- 
fects as  jussives  ;  but  it  is  better,  with  Cheyne  and  others,  to  regard 
them  as  predictive. 


PEOPHETIC  VOICES  OUT  OF  THE  EXILE.  303 

For  thy  dew  is  as  the  dew  of  the  light  of  life,^  and  the  earth 

will  cast  forth  the  dead. 
Come,  my  people,  enter  thou  into  thy  chambers,  and  shut  thy 

doors  about  thee  : 
Hide  thyself  for  a  little  moment,  until  the  indignation  be 

overpast. 
For,  behold,  Jahveh  cometh  forth  out  of  his  place  to  punish 

the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  for  their  iniquity  : 
The  earth  also  will  disclose  her  blood,  and  will  no  more  cover 

her  slain. 
In  that  day  Jahveh  will  visit  with  his  sore  and  great  and 

strong  sword 
Upon  leviathan  the  swift  serpent  and  leviathan  the  crooked 

serpent ; 
And  he  will  slay  the  dragon  that  is  in  the  sea.* 

XI.  In  that  day,  a  pleasant '  vineyard,  sing  ye  of  it. 
I,  Jahveh,  do  keep  it ;  I  water  it  every  moment, 

^  nnii<  is  taken  by  Gesenius,  Furst,  Bottcher,  Hitzig,  RY.  and 
others  as  plural  of  "iix,  herbs.  But  this  seems  inappropriate.  It 
is  best,  with  Ewald,  Delitzseh,  Cheyne  and  margin  of  R.V.,  to  take 
it  as  plural  of  11 X,  light.  The  plural  is  then  the  emphatic  plural, 
the  light  of  life  (Ewald,  Delitzseh),  or  everlasting  light  :  the  light 
from  God  which  quickens  the  dead  bodies,  as  the  dew  quickens  the 
plants  of  the  earth.  The  C^XQT  are  the  shades,  departed  spirits. 
The  RV.  renders  "  the  dead,"  and  misses  the  sense. 

2  These  three  lines  have  been  wrongly  separated  from  their 
strophe  by  the  Massoretes,  and  attached  to  the  following  chapter. 
There  is  the  same  contrast  between  Israel  and  his  oppressors  as 
we  have  found  in  the  previous  strophes.  There  is  considerable 
difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  refert^nce  of  these  terms.  Most 
interpreters  think  of  three  empires,  of  which  Eg3^pt  is  the  last, 
according  to  li.  9  and  Ezek.  xxiv.  3,  the  other  two  being  Media 
and  Babylon  (Hitzig),  Scythia  and  Babylon  (Bottcher),  Media  and 
Persia  (Ewald),  Assyria  and  Chaldea  (Delitzseh).  Vitringa,  Knobel 
and  Reinke  think  that  but  one  empire  is  referred  to.  Cheyne 
thinks  that  there  is  a  mythical  reference  to  the  storm  dragon.  It 
seems  best  to  think  of  two  empires.  The  latter,  Egypt,  is  sufficiently 
designated  by  D^3  ")t^*X  j'':nn  ;  the  former,  Babylon,  by  the  term 
irr*"!^, — the  two  epithets  nna  i^n:  and  Jinbpy  t^nj  are  simply  an 
emphatic  description  of  the  same  monsfer. 

^  "ion,  fermei>ted  wine,  is  only  found  here  and  in  Deut.  xxxii. 
14.  Some  MSS.,  the  LXX.  and  Targum  read  ijon.  These  are 
rightly  followed  by  Lowth,  Hitzig,  Ewald,  Delitzseh,  Knobel  and 
Cheyne. 


304  MESSIANIC  PKOPHECY. 

Lest  any  visit  upon  it,  I  keep  it  night  and  day. 

Fury  I  have  none  :  would  that  I  had  briers,  thorns ; 

I  would   march  upon  them  in  battle,  I  would  burn  them 

together. 
Or  else  let  him  take  hold  of  my  strength,  that  he  may  make 

peace  with  me  :  make  peace  with  me. 
In  days  ^  to  come  let  Jacob  take  root  ; 
And  Israel  will  bloom  and  be  fruitful,  and  the  face  of  the 

world  will  be  full  of  fruit. 
Hath  he  smitten  him  as  he  smote  those  that  smote  him  ?  or 

is  he  slain  according  to  the  slaughter  of  them  that  were 

slain  by  him  ? 
In  exact  measure,^  when  thou  sent  her  away,  thou  didst 

contend  with  her. 

XII.  He  hath  expelled  ^  with  his  rough  blast  in  the  day  of  the 

east  wind. 
Therefore  by  this  will  the  iniquity  of  Jacob  be  covered  over, 
And  this  is  all  the  fruit  of  taking  away  his  sin  ; 
When  he  maketh  all  the  stones  of  the  altar  as  chalkstones  ; 
Beaten  *  in  sunder,  the  Asherim  and  the  sun-images  will  rise 

no  more. 
Verily  the  defenced  city  is  solitary,  an  habitation  deserted 

and  forsaken,  like  the  wilderness  : 
There  the  calf  feeds,  and  there  he  lies  down,  and  consumes 

the  branches  thereof. 
When  the  boughs  thereof  are  withered,  they  are  broken  off; 

the  women  come  and  set  them  on  fire ; 
For  it  is  a  people  of  no  understanding  : 


^  D"'X3n.  We  should  supply  tl^jy,  as  in  Jer.  xxxi.  38.  The  early 
omission  of  this  word  made  the  line  obscure,  and  the  Versions  diifer 
greatly  in  their  rendering  of  it. 

^  nXDND  is  only  found  here.  It  is  usually  taken  as  nt<D  nXD, 
the  rej^etition  being  iu  the  style  of  our  poet,  that  is,  in  mejisure  by 
measure,  thus  by  careful  measurement  so  as  not  to  exceed  the 
bounds  ;  see  Jer.  xxx.  11 :  So  R.V.  idter  most  interpreters.  Hitzig, 
Ewald,  Knobel  take  it  as  Pilpal  of  x*,d  =  i'lT  =  disquiet,  drive  away. 
But  this  is  more  suited  to  the  following  context  than  to  the  previous 
Hne. 

®  njn  is  only  found  here  and  Prov.  xxv.  4.  It  is  similar  to 
nr,  and  after  Sj-riac  and  Arabic  analogies  means  expel,  reject. 

^  niV2iQ  refers  to  n^TD  ^J3N,  but  belongs  to  the  following  line, 
and  is  in  emphatic  position. 


PEOPHETIC  VOICES  OUT  OF  THE  EXILE.  305 

Therefore  he  that  made  them  has  no  compassion  upon  them, 
and  he  that  formed  them  shows  them  no  favour. 

And  it  will  come  to  pass  in  that  day,  that  Jahveh  will  beat 

off  his  fruit,  from  the  flood  of  the  Eiver  unto  the  brook 

of  Egyjjt, 
And  ye  will  be  gathered  one  by  one,  O  ye  children  of  Israel, 
And  it  will  come  to  pass  in  that  day,  that  a  great  trumpet 

will  be  blown, 
And  they  will  come  which  were  ready  to  perish  in  the  land 

of  Assyria,  and  they  that  were  outcasts  in  the  land  of 

Egypt; 
And  they  will  worship  Jahveh  in  the  holy  mountain  at 

Jerusalem." 

This  apocalypse  is  Messianic  throughout.  It  presents 
vividly  and  strongly  the  divine  judgment  upon  the  world 
and  the  redemption  of  God's  people.  These  two  con- 
trasted results  of  the  divine  advent  are  not  kept  apart, 
but  are  mingled  and  repeated  again  and  again  as  the 
poet  advances  in  strophe  after  strophe. 

The  first  strophe  predicts  that  the  earth  will  become 
a  waste,  and  that  all  classes  of  its  inhabitants  will  be 
scattered  and  will  perish  because  of  their  transgressions. 
In  the  second  strophe  the  great  city  of  the  world  is 
brought  into  view  and  called  the  city  of  chaos,  to  indicate 
that  it  is  doomed  to  return  to  the  condition  of  the  earth 
before  God  created  the  light  upon  it.  The  third  strophe 
begins  with  a  glance  at  the  glory  of  God  sounding  forth 
from  the  redeemed  upon  the  distant  coasts  of  the  sea ; 
and  then  vividly  describes  the  vain  efforts  of  the  fugitives 
to  escape  the  divine  judgment.^  The  fourth  strophe 
enlarges  the  judgment  scene  until  it  embraces  heaven  and 
earth.  The  windows  of  heaven  are  opened  for  a  great 
storm ;  the  sun  and  the  moon  hide  their  light  in  shame 
and  confusion ;  ^  there  is  a  great  earthquake,  the  earth 
staggers  like  a  drunkard  and  swings  like  a  hammock, 
1  See  Amos  ix.  2  seq.  ^  g^g  j^^j  ^y^  ^5^  p^  j^^g^ 

U 


306  MESSIANIC  rPvOPHECY. 

and  then  is  entirely  broken  up  and  removed.^  All  this 
is  but  an  intensification  of  previous  predictions.  But  in 
one  respect  this  judgment  scene  transcends  all  others, 
for  it  not  only  includes  the  kings  of  the  earth,  but  also 
alongside  of  them  and  distinguished  from  them,  the  host 
of  the  high  on  high,  which  can  only  be  understood  of  the 
evil  spirits  of  the  air,  the  evil  angels  and  angel  princes 
of  the  hostile  nations.  These  are  imprisoned  in  the 
dungeon  of  Sheol  and  visited  with  punishment.  Here 
then  is  the  original  of  those  representations  of  the  judg- 
ment of  the  evil  angels  which  recur  in  later  prophecy.^ 

In  striking  contrast  with  these  imprisoned  evil  spirits 
and  kings  are  the  elders  on  Mount  Zion,  before  whom 
the  glory  of  Jahveh,  the  King  of  Israel,  is  manifested. 
These  might  be  referred  to  the  elders  of  Israel  were  it 
not  for  the  late  origin  of  this  prediction,  the  contrast 
with  the  host  of  the  high  on  high,  and  the  fact  that  they 
are  the  elders  of  Jahveh,  belonging  to  Him  in  a  peculiar 
sense.  We  are  therefore  to  find  here  the  origin  of  the 
conception  of  the  twenty-four  elders  of  the  Apocalypse  of 
the  New  Testament  who  have  immediate  access  to  the 
throne  of  God,  and  before  whom  His  glory  is  peculiarly 
manifest.^ 

The  fifth  strophe  is  a  song  of  praise  to  Jahveh  for  His 
acts  of  judgment  and  mercy.  The  sixth  strophe  describes 
a  great  banquet  provided  by  Jahveh  for  the  redeemed 
from  all  nations  on  Mount  Zion.  In  connection  with 
this  banquet  it  is  proclaimed  that  death,  the  great  shroud 
that  envelopes  all  peoples,  is  abolished  for  ever ;  and 
Jahveh  wipes   away  tears  from  all  faces,  and  removes 

^  See  Ezek.  xxxviii.  19  seq.,  p.  280  seq.  See  also  Kev.  xvi.  19-21, 
■which  is  based  on  this  passage. 

2  The  ai)ocaly]ise  of  Enoch  lays  great  stress  upon  the  judgment 
of  the  evil  angels  ;  but  we  find  it  sufficiently  represented  in  2  Pet. 
ii.  4  ;  Jude  6  ;  Eev.  ix.  1  seq.,  xii.  7,  xx.  1. 

*  See  Rev.  iv.  4  seq. 


PROPHETIO  VOICES  OUT  OF  THE  EXILE.  307 

sorrow  and  shame  for  ever.  The  apocalypse  reaches  its 
height  in  this  Messianic  triumph  over  death  and  sorrow, 
and  it  gives  us  a  unique  feature  of  the  divine  advent 
which  becomes  the  basis  of  the  predictions  of  the  New 
Testament/  The  original  curse  of  man  pronounced  in 
the  garden  of  Eden  upon  our  race  is  overcome.  The 
divine  blessing  has  transformed  the  curse ;  the  divine 
judgment  has  transformed  the  world ;  the  wicked  have 
been  destroyed,  the  righteous  have  been  redeemed,  death 
has  been  swallowed  up  in  victory. 

The  seventh  strophe  contrasts  the  ruin  of  Moab,  and 
his  strong  city,  with  the  city  of  Israel,  the  city  of  God 
whose  walls  and  rampart  are  salvation,  and  whose  trust 
is  in  an  everlasting  rock.  The  eighth  strophe  triumphs 
over  the  world's  metropolis,  that  has  been  brought  so  low 
that  the  feet  of  the  afflicted  people  of  God  trample  it 
under  foot.  The  judgment  of  God  is  greatly  desired  by 
the  righteous,  but  the  wicked  refuse  to  see  until  the  blaze 
of  the  divine  glory  destroys  them.  The  ninth  strophe 
begins  with  a  feeling  of  gratification.  The  proud  oppres- 
sors who  had  lorded  it  over  Israel  have  been  destroyed, 
they  are  dead  and  will  never  revive,  but  Israel  has  been 
marvellously  increased  and  his  borders  have  been  extended. 
The  strophe  concludes  with  the  humiliating  thought  that 
all  the  sufferings  of  Israel  were  fruitless  in  themselves 
until  Jahveh  wrought  deliverance  in  answer  to  his  prayer. 
The  tenth  strophe  is  an  anti-strophe  to  the  previous  one. 
The  wicked  oppressors  will  have  no  resurrection,  but 
Israel  will  rise  again.  Israel  is  the  corpse  of  Jahveh. 
It  belongs  to  Him,  and  He  will  watch  over  it,  and  at  the 
proper  time  raise  it  from  the  dead.  Though  it  may  have 
become  dust  in  the  ground  and  its  shades  may  wander  in 
Sheol,  the  divine  light,  the  light  of  life  will  quicken  it 
as  the  dew  quickens  the  herbs  of  the  field,  and  the  shades 
1  See  1  Cor.  xv.  54 ;  Kev.  vi.  12-17,  xxi.  4. 


308  MESSIANIC  PHOPHECY. 

will  come  forth  from  Sheol,  the  dust  will  rise  in  the  body, 
and  Israel  will  live  again.  This  is  the  same  idea  of  a 
national  resurrection  that  we  have  found  in  Hosea  and 
Ezekiel.^  In  view  of  this  hope  Israel  is  to  seek  refuge 
in  God  during  the  brief  period  of  trial,  and  wait  until  the 
divine  judgment  has  been  executed  upon  the  swift  and 
crooked  leviathan,  Babylon ;  and  upon  the  dragon  of  the 
sea,  Egypt. 

The  eleventh  strophe  is  a  beautiful  song  of  Jahveh's 
vineyard.  It  touchingly  describes  His  care  over  it,  the 
zeal  with  which  He  defends  it  from  its  enemies,  and  the 
certainty  of  its  marvellous  increase.  The  face  of  the 
world  will  be  filled  with  its  fruit.^  The  present  and  past 
discipline  has  been  carefuUy  measured.  Its  end  was 
redemption  from  sin.  Israel  has  not  been  smitten  to 
death  as  Babylon,  has  not  been  slain  as  Egypt — the 
smiting  has  been  of  a  different  sort,  and,  although  it  has 
resulted  in  the  death  of  the  nation,  Israel  will  revive,  but 
Babylon  and  Egypt  will  not  revive.  The  twelfth  strophe 
describes  the  exile  and  punishment  of  Israel  as  in  Order 
to  their  redemption.  The  heathen  altars,  with  their 
pillars  in  honour  of  Ashera  and  Baal,  will  be  utterly 
destroyed,  and  all  the  iniquity  of  Jacob  will  be  covered 
over  in  this  punishment. 

This  apocalypse  has  a  supplement  of  five  lines.  This 
may  have  been  taken  from  an  older  prophet,  possibly 
Isaiah.  But  it  gives  a  very  suitable  conclusion  to  the 
apocalypse,  although  not  in  such  a  high  poetic  strain  as 
the  body  of  the  piece.  There  is  to  be  a  great  harvest  in 
the  entire  region  from  the  Euphrates  to  Egypt,  and  the 
exiles  are  to  be  gathered  one  by  one.^     A  great  trumpet 

1  See  pp.  176  and  275. 

2  This  song  of  the  vineyard  is  based  partly  upon  Isa.  v.  and  partly 
resembles  Ps.  Ixxx.     See  p.  229. 

*  See  Jer.  iii.  14,  p.  242. 


PROPHETIC  VOICES  OUT  OF  THE  EXILE.  309 

will  be  blown  as  a  signal  for  all  the  exiles  to  return  to 
the  holy  mountain  at  Jerusalem.^ 

At  a  considerably  later  date  the  great  unknown  issued 
a  prediction  of  the  destruction  of  Babylon  by  the  Medes 
and  the  judgment  of  the  world.  It  is  contained  in  Isaiah, 
chaps,  xiii.-xiv.  23.  It  is  the  prelude  to  the  judgment 
upon  Babylon  by  Cyrus  of  chaps,  xl.-xlviii.,  and  is 
possibly  one  of  the  earlier  predictions  referred  to  therein.^ 
There  is  nothing  that  we  have  not  found  already  in  older 
prophecies  so  far  as  the  Messianic  idea  is  concerned. 
The  predictions  of  Joel,  Zephaniah,  and  Ezekiel  with 
reference  to  the  day  of  Jahveh  are  repeated.  The  same 
great  conflict  reappears  with  the  convulsions  of  nature 
that  accompany  it.^ 

"  Set  ye  up  an  ensign  upon  the  bare  mountain,  hft  up  the  voice 

unto  them,* 
Wave  the  hand,  that  they  may  go  into  the  gates  of  the  nobles. 

I  have  commanded  my  consecrated  ones,^ 
Yea,  I  have  called  my  mighty  men  for  mine  anger,  my  proudly 

exulting  ones.^ 
Hark  !  a  multitude  in  the  mountains,  like  as  of  a  great  people  ! 
Hark  !  a  tumult  of  the  kingdoms  of  the  nations  gathered  together ! 
Jahveh  Sabaoth  mustereth  the  host  for  the  battle. 
They  come  from  a  far  country,  from  the  uttermost  part  of  heaven, 
Jahveh,  and  the  weapons  of  his  indignation,  to  destroy  the  whole 

earth. 
Howl  ye  ;  for  the  day  of  Jahveh  is  at  hand  ;  as  destruction  from 

Shadday  it  cometh.'' 
Therefore  aU  hands  will  be  feeble,  and  every  heart  of  man  will 

melt : 


1  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  Httle  section  resembles  very 
much  Isa.  xi.  15,  16. 

2  iSee  A.  B.  Davidson,  Expositor,  April  1884,  p.  257. 
2  See  pp.  150  seq.,  221  seq.,  and  279  seq. 

*  This  line  resembles  Isa.  xl.  9. 

*  ''^IpO.     The  warriors  of  Jahveh  were  consecrated  for  the  holy 
war.     See  Joel  iv.  9  ;  Jer.  xxii.  7,  li.  27,  28  ;  Zeph.  i.  7. 

*  "TIIXJ  T^'y-     Thiis  same  phrase  is  found  in  Zeph.  iii.  11. 

*  This  line  is  identical  with  Joel  i.  15. 


310  MESSIANIC  PKOPHECY. 

And  they  will  be  dismayed  ;  pangs  and  sorrows  will  take  hold  of 

them  ;  they  will  be  in  pain  as  a  woman  in  travail ; 
They  will  be  amazed  one  at  another  ;  their  faces  will  be  faces  of 

flame. 
Behold,  the  day  of  Jahveh  cometh,  cruel,  with  wrath  and  heat  of 

anger ; ^ 
To  make  the  land  a  desolation,  and  to  destroy  the  sinners  thereof 

out  of  it. 
Verily  the  stars  of  heaven  and  the  constellations  thereof  will  not 

give  their  light ; 
The  sun  will  be  darkened  in  his  going  forth,  and  the  moon  will 

not  let  her  light  sliine.^ 
And  I  will  visit  upon  the  world  for  their  evil,  and  upon  the 

wicked  for  their  iniquity  ; 
And  I  will  cause  the  arrogance  of  the  proud  to  cease,  and  will  lay 

low  the  arrogancy  of  the  terrible. 
I  will  make  a  man  more  rare  than  fine  gold,  even  a  man  than  the 

pure  gold  of  Ophir. 
Therefore  I  will  make  the  heavens  to  tremble,  and  the  earth  will 

be  shaken  out  of  her  place,^ 
In  the  overflowing  wrath  of  Jahveh  Sabaoth,  and  in  the  day  of 

the  heat  of  his  anger."  — Isa.  xiii.  1-13. 

Another  anonymous  apocalypse  has  been  preserved  in 
Isa.  xxxiv.-xxxv.  It  differs  from  the  previous  apocalypse 
in  poetical  structure,  and  in  its  entire  style  and  repre- 
sentation. It  resembles  very  much  the  great  prophecy 
contained  in  Isa.  xl.-lxvi.  It  seems  to  be  an  earlier 
piece  by  the  same  author,  the  prelude  and  outline  of 
that  great  composition.  In  the  previous  apocalypse 
Babylon  was  the  great  enemy,  but  Egypt,  and  especially 
Moab,  were  associated  with  him.  In  this  apocalypse 
Edom  takes  the  place  of  Moab,  and  becomes  the  central 
figure  of  the  judgment  scene.  This  apocalypse  difiera 
from  the  previous  one  in  the  unfolding  of  its  theme. 
There,  the  judgment  and  the  redemption  were  presented 
in  a  series  of  contrasted  pictures  running  through  the 

1  Comp.  Zeph.  i.  14-16.  *  Comp.  Joel  iv.  16. 

*  Comp.  Ezek.  xxxviii.  20. 


PROPHETIC  VOICES  OUT  OF  THE  EXILE.  311 

several  strophes  of  the  poem.  Here,  the  prophet  first 
presents  the  judgment  scene  and  then  the  redemption  in 
the  second  half  of  his  piece.  This  enables  us  to  consider 
the  two  scenes  apart,  and  to  attach  to  them  corresponding 
representations  from  other  writings. 


11.    THE  BLOOD-BATH  OF  JAHVEH, 

§  86.  This  apocalypse  gives  a  picture  of  the  judgment 
of  the  earth.  The  judgment  is  a  great  slaughter.  Edoiiv 
hecojncs  the  blood-hath  of  Jahveh.  Heaven  and  earth  are 
contaminated  with  the  blood  and  carcases  of  the  slain. 
The  heavens  are  rolled  tip  as  a  scroll,  and  their  host  fade 
as  the  foliage  of  a  tree. 

"  Draw  near,  ye  nations,  to  hear ; 
And  ye  peoples,  hearken ; 
Let  the  earth  hear,  and  the  fulness  thereof ; 
The  world,  and  all  things  that  spring  forth  out  of  it. 
For  Jahveh  hath  indignation  against  aU  nations, 
And  wrath  against  all  their  host : 
He  hath  put  them  under  the  han,  he  hath  given  them  to  the 

slaughter, 
And  their  slain  will  be  cast  out, 
And  the  stink  of  their  carcases  will  come  up. 
And  the  mountains  will  be  melted  with  their  blood, 
And  all  the  host  of  heaven  will  consume  away.^ 
And  the  heavens  will  be  rolled  together  as  a  scroll : 

^  1p?D3  ia  the  Niphal  of  \>p'0.  It  is  used  in  Ps.  xxxviii.  6  of 
running  ulcers ;  in  Zech.  xiv.  12,  of  the  wasting  away  of  eyes  and 
tongue  as  by  the  plague  of  leprosy ;  in  Lev.  xxvi.  39,  Ezek.  xxiv. 
23,  xxxiii.  10,  of  the  pining  or  wasting  away  in  iniquity.  These  pas- 
sages all  force  us  to  see  here  the  figure  of  a  foul  disease,  a  running 
sore.  Gesenius,  after  Vitringa,  thinks  of  the  melting  of  the  lights 
of  heaven  Hke  wax  candles;  but  the  Oriental  lights  were  lamps,  not 
candles.  The  rendering  of  the  R.V.,  "dissolved,"  has  no  justifica- 
tion. The  host  of  heaven  are  contaminated  with  the  rotting  carcases 
upon  the  surface  of  the  earth,  and  break  out  in  foul  ulcers,  so  that 
they  waste  away  as  by  disease.  This  is  a  dreadful  figure,  but  it 
suits  the  context  and  Zech.  xiv.  12. 


312  MESSIANIC  PrvOPHECY. 

And  all  their  host  will  fade  away, 

As  the  leaf  fadeth  from  oflf  the  vine, 

And  as  a  fading  leaf  from  the  fig-tree. 

For  my  sword  hath  drunk  its  fill  in  heaven  : 

Behold,  it  will  come  down  upon  Edom, 

And  upon  the  people  of  my  ban,  to  judgment; 

The  sword  of  Jahveli  is  filled  with  blood, 

It  is  made  fat  with  fatness. 

With  the  blood  of  lambs  and  goats, 

With  the  fat  of  the  kidneys  of  rams : 

For  Jahveh  hath  a  sacrifice  in  Bozrah, 

And  a  great  slaughter  in  the  land  of  Edom, 

And  the  wild  oxen  will  come  down  with  them, 

And  the  bullocks  with  the  bulls  ; 

And  their  land  will  be  drunken  with  blood. 

And  their  dust  made  fat  with  fatness, 

For  it  is  the  day  of  Jahveh's  A' engeance  ; 

The  year  of  recompense  in  the  controversy  of  Zion.^ 

And  the  streams  thereof  will  be  turned  into  f)itch. 

And  the  dust  thereof  into  brimstone, 

And  the  land  thereof  will  become  burning  pitch. 

It  will  not  be  quenched  night  nor  day  ; 

The  smoke  thereof  will  go  up  for  ever  ; 

From  generation  to  generation,  it  will  lie  waste  ; 

None  will  pass  through  it  for  ever  and  ever." 


The  symbols  of  the  divine  judgment  are  quite  new  to 
the  Messianic  idea.  The  great  slaughter  of  the  final 
conflict  has  appeared  in  many  previous  predictions.^  But 
here  it  is  described  in  dreadful  details.  The  mountains 
flow  with  the  blood,  the  bodies  of  the  slain  defile  the 
earth,  and  the  foul  odours  of  the  rotting  carcases  rise  to 
the  heavens  and  contaminate  them  with  running  sores, 
so   that  they  waste   away  as   if  afflicted  with   leprosy.' 


^  This  same  idea  is  found  in  Isa.  Ixi.  2  and  Ixiii.  4, 

2  See    Joel    iv.    18-21,    p.    158.      Ezek.    xxxviii.,    xxxix. ;    see 

p.  279. 

^  This  representation  recurs  in  Isa.   Ixvi.  24,  and  especially  in 

Eev.  xiv.  20. 


PEOPHETIC  VOICES  OUT  OF  THE  EXILE.  313 

There  are  two  other  significant  figures.  The  heavens  are 
rolled  up  as  the  leaves  of  a  scroll,  and  the  heavenly- 
bodies  fade  and  fall  like  leaves  from  a  tree.^  This  indi- 
cates that  in  the  view  of  our  prophet  heaven  and  earth 
are  to  pass  away,  and  that  the  pruneval  chaos  is  to 
return  again.  The  special  doom  of  Edom  is  that  of 
Sodom  and  Gomorrah.^ 

The  counterpart  to  the  reduction  of  the  earth  to 
chaos  is  the  renovation  of  nature  described  in  chap.  xxxv. 
But  before  we  enter  upon  this  dehghtful  theme,  we  shall 
bring  into  consideration  two  other  pieces  of  prophecy  that 
deal  with  the  judgment  of  Edom.  The  first  of  these  is 
that  wonderful  dramatic  poem  that  the  great  unknown 
has  taken  up  into  his  marvellous  composition  in  Isa. 
Ixiii.  1-6.  It  has  no  organic  connection  with  its  context, 
and  it  is  best  to  treat  it  here.  • 

{Prophet)    "  Who  there  ^  is  coming  *  from  Edom, 

Stained  red  ^  in  his  gai^ments  from  Bozrah  ; 
Who  there  made  glorious  in  his  apparel, 
Stretching  himseK  ^  in  the  greatness  of  his  strength? 


1  These  figures  reappear  in  Matt.  xxiv.  29  and  Rev.  vi.  13. 

2  Gen.  xix.  24-28. 

3  nr  '•D  is  here  as  usual,  "Who  there,"  or  "Who  then."  nt  has 
the  same  force  in  the  third  fine  as  Knobel  rightly  gives  it.  The 
demonstrative  emphasizes  the  interrogative. 

■*  N2  should  have  its  force  as  a  participle.  It  is  followed  by  three 
other  participles  in  the  parallel  lines.  These  should  all  have  their 
fuU  force. 

^  pion  is  rendered  by  Gesenius,  "splendid ;"  by  Ewald,  "crimson;' 
by  Cheyne,  "bright  red,"  all  thinking  of  the  colour.  The  RV. 
renders  "  dyed,"  and  leaves  the  colour  to  be  understood.  It  is  best 
to  render  in  accordance  with  the  context,  "stained  red,"  thinking 
of  the  blood-bath. 

^  nvv  is  rendered  by  the  R.V.,  after  the  Vulgate,  Lowth,  Cheyne 
and  others,  "  marching."  But  this  is  not  justified  by  the  usage  of 
the  word  or  the  context.  Gesenius  and  Nagelsbach  render  "  tossing 
the  head ;  "  Dehtzsch,  "  bending  to  and  fro  ; "  Ewald  and  Knobel, 
"  stretching  himself."  The  victor  is  exulting,  and  expresses  it  in  the 
stretching  of  the  body  as  he  moves  along. 


ol4  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

(Jahveh)   I  that  speak  in  righteousness, 
That  am  mighty  to  save. 

(Prophet)   Wherefore  art  thou  red  in  thine  apparel, 

And  thy  garments  like  him  that  treadeth  in  the  winefat  1 

(Jahveh)    I  have  trodden  the  wine-press  alone ; 

And  of  the  peoples  there  was  no  man  with  me : 

Yea,  I  have  been  treading  ^  them  in  mine  anger, 

And  trampling  them  in  my  fury, 

So  that  their  juice  ^  is  sprinkled  upon  my  garments, 

And  all  my  raiment  I  have  stained.' 

For  the  day  of  vengeance  was  in  my  heart ; 

And  the  year  of  my  redeemed  is  come. 

Yea,  I  was  looking  and  there  was  none  to  help ; 

And  I  was  wondering  and  there  was  none  to  uphold ; 

And  so  mine  own  arm  brought  salvation  for  me, 

And  my  fury  it  upheld  me. 

^  D^IIV  The  interpretation' of  the  piece  depends  upon  the  point- 
ing of  the  vavs  in  this  verb  and  those  that  follow.  The  Massoretic 
pointing  seems  to  involve  the  interpretation  that  they  are  futures, 
and  so  the  A.Y.  renders  them.  But  the  classic  syntax  would  require 
that  the  imperfects  that  follow  Tl^lT  should  be  vavs  consecutive, 
all  the  more  that  we  have  a  distinct  jussive  form  in  T»  (ver.  3),  and 
that  it  is  followed  by  a  perfect  at  the  close  of  the  verse.  If  the 
pointing  be  thus  changed,  as  urged  by  Cheyne  and  others,  the 
rendering  of  the  R.V.  is  correct.  The  Massoretic  pointing  involves, 
in  accordance  with  classic  Hebrew  syntax,  that  all  these  imperfects 
witli  weak  vavs  should  be  final  clauses,  for  a  change  of  tense  from 
the  perfect  to  the  imperfect  is  made  by  a  vav  consec.  of  the  per- 
fect. But  this  piece  agrees  with  the  syntax  of  the  great  unknown 
in  disregarding  strict  classic  rules,  and  therefore  we  should  follow 
the  usage  of  our  prophet  in  his  preference  for  weak  vavs  with 
the  imperfect  for  the  ordinary  uses  of  the  imperfect.  Driver  and 
Diestel  are  certainly  correct,  however,  in  pointing  the  jussive  of  ver.  3 
15-),  and  we  should  notice  the  Massoretic  ycini.    It  seems  to  us  that 

we  should  follow  the  Massoretic  pointing  in  other  respects  and  give 
the  imperfects  the  force  of  continued  action  in  the  past.  This 
will  remove  all  the  difficulties  of  the  syntax.  Then  we  have  to 
notice  that  t*1  ^^^'^  ^K^ini  both  change  the  tense  in  order  to  express 

the  result  of  the  previous  actions. 

2  nV3  is  the  juice  of  the  grape— and  here  the  life-blood  of  the 
enemies. 

^  TlSi^iX  is  an  Aramaism  for  Tlbxjn.  It  may  have  arisen  from  a 
copyist  mistake. 


PBOPHETIC  VOICES  OUT  OF  THE  EXILE.  315 

Verily,  I  have  been  stamping  the  peoples  in  mine  anger, 
And  I  have  been  breaking  them  to  pieces  ^  in  my  wrath, 
And  I  have  been  pouring  down  their  juice  on  the  earth." 

— Isa.  Ixiii.  1-6. 

Edoiii  is  here,  as  in  the  previous  prophecy,  a  symbol  of 
the  enemies  of  God.  He  has  been  visiting  them  in 
judgment.  He  has  trodden  them  in  the  wine-press  of 
His  wrath,  and  so  great  has  been  the  slaughter  that  it 
has  become  a  blood  bath  to  the  conqueror  himself.  This 
is  described  by  the  victor  himself  in  response  to  the  inquiry 
of  the  prophet,  who  sees  him  approaching,  coming  up  from 
Edom  with  blood-stained  garments,  and  with  triumph 
displayed  in  his  entire  attitude  and  in  every  step.  There 
can  be  no  doubt  that  this  conqueror  of  Edom  is  Jahveh 
Himself.' 

There  is  still  another  prediction  of  triumph  over  Edom 
that  belongs  to  the  early  times  of  the  exile,  namely,  the 
prophecy  or  Obadiah.^     We  should  not  be  surprised  at 

^  Diaii'S  is  followed  by  the  LXX.  Vulg.  Vitringa,  Gesenius, 
Delitzsch  and  R.V.  But  Houbigant,  Lowth,  Hitzig,  Knobel,  Ewakl 
and  Chepie  follow  some  Hebrew  MSS.,  after  the  Peshitto  and  Tar- 
gum,  read  D13t^'N"l,  and  render  "  break  in  pieces,"  which  seems  to  be 
required  by  the  parallelism. 

2  There  "can  be  no  doubt  that  Eev.  xix.  13  seq.,  in  its  representa- 
tion of  the  triumph  of  the  Messianic  Word  of  God,  has  our  passage 
in  view.  This  has  induced  many  of  the  older  interpreters  to  refer 
this  prediction  to  the  serv^ant  of  God.  But  the  Messiah  is  the  anti- 
type of  the  conqueror  of  Edom,  in  that  He  is  not  only  the  servant 
of  Jahveh,  but  is  also  Jahveh  Himself. 

^  There  is  great  difference  of  opinion  among  interpreters  as  to 
the  date  of  Obadiah,  Many,  even  Orelli,  regard  him  as  the  earliest 
of  the  prophets,  whose  little  prophecy  has  been  used  by  Joel  and 
Jeremiah.  But  he  properly  belongs  to  this  period,  as  Ewald  and 
J.  J.  S.  Perowne  show.  He  uses  Joel  freely.  The  relation  between 
Jeremiah  and  this  prophet  is  not  so  easily  determined.  Obad.  1-4 
and  Jer.  xlix.  14  seq.  are  very  much  alike,  and  yet  there  are  striking 
differences.  Each  omits  something  contained  in  the  other,  and  each 
gives  new  matter  that  is  not  contained  in  the  other.  Obadiah's  piece 
is  a  little  fuller,  and  this  might  favour  the  opinion  that  he  was  later ; 
but,  on  the  other  hand,  Obadiah  is  briefer  than  Joel  in  the  matter 
common  to  them.    We  cannot  agree  with  Perowne  in  the  opinion 


316  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

the  number  of  predictions  that  use  Edom  as  the  symbol 
of  the  enemies,  for  the  cruelty  and  treachery  of  Edom 
were  deeply  impressed  upon  the  minds  of  the  exiles.^ 

"  For  the  day  of  Jahveh  is  near  ^  upon  all  nations  : 

As  thou  hast  done,  it  will  be  done  unto  thee ;  thy  recompense  will 

return  upon  thine  own  head.^ 
For  as  ye  have  drunk  upon  my  holy  mountain,  all  nations  will  drink 

continually, 
And  they  will  drink,  and  swallow  down,  and  become  as  though  they 

had  not  been : 
But  in  Mount  Zion  will  he  rescue,*  and  there  will  be  a  holy  place ;  ^ 
And  the  house  of  Jacob  will  possess  their  possessions, 
And  the  house  of  Jacob  will  be  a  fire,  and  the  house  of  Joseph  a 

flame. 
And  the  house  of  Esau  will  become  stubble,  and  they  will  burn 

among  them,  and  devour  them  : 
And  there  will  not  be  any  survivor^  to  the  house  of  Esau;    for 

Jahveh  hath  spoken  it. 

that  Jeremiah  borrowed  from  Obadiah.  We  incline  to  the  opinion 
of  Ewald,  that  both  of  them  used  an  older  prophet.  It  is  the  custom 
of  all  these  later  prophets  to  use  earlier  ones,  some  of  them  known 
to  us  and  others  unknown. 

1  "  Deepest  of  all  was  the  indignation  roused  by  the  sight  of  the 
nearest  of  kin,  the  race  of  Esau,  often  allied  to  Judah,  often  inde- 
pendent, now  bound  by  the  closest  union  with  the  power  that  was 
truly  the  common  enemy  of  both.  There  was  an  intoxication  of 
delight  in  the  wild  Edomite  chiefs,  as  at  each  successive  stroke 
against  the  venerable  walls  they  shouted,  '  Down  with  it !  down 
with  it !  even  to  the  ground.'  They  stood  in  the  passes  to  intercept 
the  escape  of  those  who  would  have  fled  down  to  the  Jordan  valley ; 
they  betrayed  the  fugitives ;  they  indulged  their  barbarous  revels 
on  the  temple  hill.  Long  and  loud  has  been  the  wail  of  execration 
which  has  gone  up  from  the  Jewish  nation  against  Edom.  It  is  the 
one  imprecation  which  breaks  forth  from  the  Lamentations  of 
Jeremiah;  it  is  the  culmination  of  the  fierce  threats  of  Ezekiel; 
it  is  the  sole  pui'pose  of  the  short  sharp  cry  of  Obadiah ;  it  is  the 
bitterest  drop  in  the  sad  recollections  of  the  Israelite  captives  by 
the  waters  of  Babylon ;  and  the  one  warlike  strain  of  the  evan- 
gelical prophet  is  inspu^ed  by  the  hope  that  the  divine  conqueror 
should  come  knee-deep  in  Idumtean  blood.  Lam.  iv.  21,  22  ;  Ezek. 
XXV.  8,  12-14 ;  Obad.  1-21  ;  Jer.  xUx.  7-22  ;  Isa.  Lsiii.  1-4."— 
Stanley,  Jewish  Churchy  ii.  p.  556. 

2  See  Joel  i.  15  and  Zeph.  i.  14.  ^  See  Joel  iv.  3. 
*  See  Joel  iii.  5.            *  See  Joel  iv.  17.  *  See  Joel  m.  5. 


PROPHETIC  VOICES  OUT  OF  THE  EXILE.  3l7 

And  they  of  tlie  south  will  possess  the  Mount  of  Esau  ;  and  they  of 

the  lowland,  the  Philistines ; 
And  Ephraim  ^  will  possess  the  field  of  Samaria  ;  and  Benjamin, 

Gilead. 
And  the  captivity  of  this  host  ^  of  the  children  of  Israel  will  possess 

that  which  belongeth  to  the  Canaanites,  even  into  Zarepbath ; 
And  the  captivity  of  Jerusalem,  which  is  in  Sepharad,  will  possess 

the  cities  of  the  south. 
And  saviours  will  come  up  on  Mount  Zion,  to  judge  the  Mount  of 

Esau; 
And  the  kingdom  will  be  Jahveh's."  — Obad.  15-21. 

The  only  additional  feature  in  this  prophecy  is  the 
reoccupation  of  the  holy  land  in  sections.  There  is  a 
specification  of  several  of  the  more  prominent  tribes,  and 
of  the  two  great  divisions  of  Israel,  which  reminds  us  in 
part  of  Ps.  Ixxx.,  and  in  part  of  Ezek.  xlix.* 

ni.    THE  TEANSFORMATION  OF  NATURE. 

The  second  section  of  the  apocalypse,  Isa.  xxxiv.-xxxv., 
is  the  counterpart  to  the  first  section.  There,  we  saw  a 
picture  of  the  corrupting  of  the  earth  and  its  return  to 
primeval  chaos.  Here,  we  see  a  picture  of  the  transfor- 
mation of  the  wilderness  into  a  garden. 

^  mc^  nx  before  DHDJ^  has  arisen  by  repetition  of  the  same  words 
before  jnDC^.  They  make  the  line  too  long  for  the  rhythm.  They 
are  against  the  parallelism,  which,  in  the  other  cases,  makes  a  section 
of  Israel  the  subject  of  1t^'~l^  They  involve  the  exclusion  of  Ephraim 
from  the  land  of  the  restoration,  against  the  context,  which  repre- 
sents the  house  of  Joseph  as  united  in  the  war  against  Edom.  It 
would  make  Judah  the  inheritor  of  the  country  of  Ephraim  in 
violation  of  the  covenant  and  contrary  to  all  precedents. 

^  r]^r\  hnn  of  the  Massoretic  text  is  "  this  host  or  army."  But  it 
is  difficult  to  understand  what  is  meant.  The  LXX.  renders  ^  dpx^i 
etvTYi,  reading  t>nn,  infin.  abs.  Hiph.  of  ^^n,  to  begin.  This  would 
then  refer  to  the  northern  kingdom  as  the  first  to  go  into  exile. 
These  are  to  return  and  occupy  the  region  of  the  Canaanites  on  the 
north,  as  in  the  next  clause  the  Jerusalemites  are  to  occupy  the 
cities  of  the  south. 

s  See  pp.  228,  285. 


318  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

§  88.  A  liigfitvay  of  redemption  is  provided  for  the 
redeemed  to  return  to  their  land.  It  is  transformed  from 
a  desert  into  a  garden.  All  evils,  physical  and  moral,  are 
removed.  Sorroio  flees  away,  and  everlasting  joy  comes  in 
its  stead. 

I.  "  Let  the  wilderness  and  the  solitary  place  be  glad  ;  ^ 

And  let  the  desert  rejoice,^  and  let  it  blossom  as  the  rose, 

Let  it  blossom  abundantly,  and  let  it  rejoice 

Even  with  joy  ^  and  singing  ; 

The  glory  of  Lebanon  has  been  given  unto  it, 

The  excellency  of  Carmel  and  Sharon ; 

They  see  the  glory  of  Jahveh, 

The  excellency  of  our  God. 

Strengthen  ye  the  weak  hands, 

And  confirm  the  feeble  knees. 

Say  to  the  fearful  of  heart,  be  strong ; 

Fear  not :  behold  your  God. 

He  cometh  with  vengeance,  with  a  divine  recompense 

He  cometh  to  save  you. 

IL  Then  the  eyes  of  the  blind  will  be  opened, 
And  the  ears  of  the  deaf  will  be  unstopped, 
Then  will  the  lame  man  leap  as  an  hart. 
And  the  tongue  of  the  dumb  will  sing : 
For  in  the  wilderness  waters  will  break  out, 
And  streams  in  the  desert, 
And  the  mirage  ^  will  become  a  pool. 
And  the  thu'sty  gi'ound  springs  of  water ; 


^  tl'W^^  is  difficult.  The  D  cannot  be  the  suffix,  for  the  verb  is 
intransitive,  and  there  is  nothing  in  the  context  to  which  it  can 
refer.  Luther,  Lowth,  Eichhorn  and  Hitzig  take  it  as  a  repetition 
by  mistake  of  the  initial  letter  of  the  following  word.  Most  critics 
think  that  the  archaic  plural  p  has  been  assimilated  to  the  following 
letter,  so  after  Aben  Ezi'a,  Ewald,  Delitzsch,  Fiirst,  Cheyne,  Diestel. 

^  7jm  seems  to  be  jussive,  unless  we  suppose  that  at  this  stage  of 
the  language  the  distinction  in  form  between  the  jussive  and 
indicative  has  well-nigh  disappeared. 

^  TO^^  is  an  example  of  the  construct  before  the  conjunction  vav. 
Other  examjjles  are  found  in  Isa.  xxxiii.  6  and  Ezek.  xxvi.  10 ;  so 
Ewald,  Geseuius,  Bottchcr  and  Green. 

*  3"Hy  is  the  mirage,  like  the  con-esponding  Arabic  word. 


PROPHETIC  VOICES  OUT  OF  THE  EXILE.  319 

In  the  habitation  of  jackals,  where  they  lay, 
There  will  be  grass  with  reeds  and  rushes. 

III.  And  an  highway  will  be  there, 

And  it  will  be  called  the  way  of  holiness  ; 

The  unclean  will  not  pass  over  it, 

Nor  will  it  be  theirs  ;  ^ 

Wayfaring  men  and  fools  will  not  wander  there,* 

No  lion  will  be  there. 

Nor  will  any  ravenous  beast  go  up  thereon, 

They  will  not  be  found  there  ; 

But  the  redeemed  will  walk  there  ; 

And  the  ransomed  of  Jahveh  will  return. 

And  come  with  singing  unto  Zion  ; 

And  everlasting  joy  will  be  upon  their  heads  ; 

Gladness  and  joy  will  overtake  them. 

And  sorrow  and  sighing  will  flee  away." 

This  is  a  beautiful  picture  of  the  land  of  the  redeemed. 
It  reminds  us  of  the  representations  of  Ezekiel  with 
regard  to  the  wonderful  fertility  of  the  holy  land,  his 
comparison  of  it  with  the  garden  of  Eden,  and  the  vision 
of  the  river  of  life  and  its  wonderful  trees.^  But  our 
prophecy  transcends  these  and  all  previous  prophecies  in 
its  elaborate  representations,  and  becomes  the  basis  of 
the  description  of  Isa.  xl.-lxvi  The  advent  of  Jahveh  is 
the  source  of  all  these  blessings.  Nature  is  transformed 
at  His  presence.    The  earth  had  been  transformed  by  His 

^  "»?D^3  &?ini  is  difficult.  It  is  taken  as  a  circumstantial  clause  by 
Knobel,  Ewald  and  others,  and  rendered,  "  inasmuch  as  it  is  theirs," 
namely,  it  belongs  to  the  people  of  God.  It  is  probable  that  vav 
carries  over  the  force  of  the  negative,  and  we  should  render  "  nor 
shall  it  be  theirs." 

^  This  clause  is  commonly  taken  as  indicating  those  who  have  a 
right  to  the  way  ;  but  this  disturbs  the  movement  of  the  thought 
and  spoils  the  climax  by  a  premature  announcement.  The  prophet 
first  indicates  those  who  have  no  right  to  the  way  in  six  lines,  and 
then  in  the  closiug  six  lines  those  who  have  possession  of  it. 
Accordingly  we  take  r\VT\  in  a  good  sense,  "wander  it,"  and  give 
^•"Ij^  the  bad  sense  that  it  invariably  has.  The  highway  of  redemp- 
tion was  no  place  for  wayfarers  or  fools. 

3  See  Ezek.  xxxiv.  25-27,  xxxvi.  35,  xlvii.  12,  pp.  272,  274,  and  290. 


320  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

wrath  into  a  wilderness,  and  had  returned  to  its  original 
chaos.  It  now  responds  to  His  blessing  in  a  greater 
transformation,  and  becomes  like  the  garden  of  Jahveh. 
The  most  fertile  portion  of  Palestine,  Lebanon,  Carmel 
and  Sharon  are  selected  as  representatives  of  what  the 
entire  land  is  to  be. 

But  the  blessings  extend  beyond  physical  nature. 
Man  is  to  be  redeemed.  His  bodily  ills  disappear.  The 
blind,  the  lame  and  the  dumb  are  healed,  and  unite  in 
this  universal  joy  of  nature.  All  sin  is  banished.  A 
holy  highway  is  established  leading  into  the  holy  land. 
No  unclean  person  will  enter  it,  no  beast  of  prey  will  be 
found  there ;  even  the  fools  and  wayfarers  will  have  no 
place  there.  For  it  is  a  highway  of  redemption — a  royal 
road  to  the  garden  of  God.  All  sorrow  and  sighing  are 
banished,  they  flee  away  like  evil  demons  from  the  holy 
way  of  redemption,  and  joy  and  gladness  fly  thither  like 
angels  of  blessing  to  crown  the  heads  of  the  holy  people 
with  everlasting  happiness.'^ 


IV.  THE  GEEAT  SUFFERER. 

The  exile  was  a  bitter  experience  for  the  pious 
Israehte.  It  transcended  the  woes  of  the  Egyptian 
bondage.  For  then  the  holy  land  was  a  bright  pro- 
spect that  had  not  yet  been  attained ;  but  now  the  holy 
land  had  been  lost  through  the  sin  and  folly  of  the 
people  of  God.  The  pious  keenly  felt  that  they  were 
deprived  of  blessings  which  they  ought  to  have  inherited. 
They  needed  redemption  from  sin  even  more  than  deliver- 
ance from  oppressors.  The  pious  were  indeed  the 
greatest  sufferers,  for  they  shared  in  the  persecution  to 
which  Jeremiah  and  others  like-minded  had  been  sub- 

^  Tliis  reminds  us  of  the  banquet  of  joy  and  the  wiping  away  of 
tears  of  Isa.  xxv.  6-8.     See  p.  300. 


PKOPHETIC  VOICES  OUT  OF  THE  EXILE.  321 

jected  by  the  wicked  princes  and  their  followers  among 
the  people.  Piety  was  now  synonymous  with  affliction 
and  sorrow.  The  ideal  of  the  suffering  Messiah  had  its 
genesis  in  these  circumstances,  and  yet  it  was  not  with- 
out connection  with  earlier  Messianic  prophecies.  The 
ideal  man  of  the  poem  of  the  creation  ^  and  of  the  codes 
of  the  Pentateuch  ^  had  not  been  realized  in  the  experi- 
ence of  Israel  or  mankind.  The  curses  were  earned  and 
the  blessings  were  forfeited.  The  problem  of  redemp- 
tion was  no  longer  simply  the  education  of  the  race  for 
its  attainment  of  the  divine  ideal,  or  the  training  of 
Israel  in  the  sacred  institutions  of  redemption ;  but  first 
of  all  they  must  be  delivered  from  the  curse  of  sin  and 
the  penalties  of  broken  covenants  and  vows.  The 
problem  of  redemption  became  complicated  owing  to  the 
fact  that  not  only  did  the  sinner  suffer  for  his  evil  deeds, 
but  the  righteous  man  who  strove  to  serve  God,  to  attain 
the  divine  ideal,  and  to  gain  the  promised  blessings, 
increased  his  sufferings  and  sorrows  thereby.  He  sepa- 
rated himself  from  his  evil  surroundings  only  to  incur 
enmity  and  persecution.  He  suffered  no  longer  for  sin, 
but  for  righteousness'  sake.  Ideal  manhood  is  to  be 
gained  only  through  the  real  manhood  of  fortitude,  per- 
severance, and  the  patient  endurance  of  persecutions 
even  unto  death.  This  conception  is  found  in  germ  in 
the  Protevangelium.^  The  conflict  with  Satan  and  the 
forces  of  evil  was  accompanied  with  peril,  and  the  victory 
was  to  be  gained  only  through  suffering.  It  is  also 
contained  in  the  covenants  with  Abraham  ^  and  David. 
What  Egypt  was  to  the  seed  of  Abraham,  that  the  exile 
became  to  the  seed  of  David  and  the  children  of  Israel. 
The  wilderness  was  the  way  to  the  holy  land  of  redemp- 
tion, and  the  entrance  was  through  the  vale  of  tribula- 

1  See  p.  68.  ^  gee  p.  115.  «  See  p.  71. 

*  See  p.  87.  *  See  p.  126. 

X 


322  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY, 

tion/  But  the  circumstances  of  the  exile,  and  especially 
the  experience  of  the  persecuted  Jeremiah  and  his 
associates,  taught  the  people  of  God  lessons  they  had 
never  learned  before.  The  sufferings  of  the  nation  in 
exile  were  to  discharge  the  penalties  of  its  transgressions, 
but  were  not  to  result  in  ultimate  ruin.  The  nation 
had  indeed  died,  but  it  was  to  rise  again  in  a  great 
resurrection.^  The  faithful  prophets,  the  teachers  of  the 
nation,  are  not  to  suffer  persecution  and  death  in  vain ; 
they  are  to  earn  and  receive  the  rewards  of  their  faith- 
fulness. There  are  several  psalms  of  the  exile  that 
present  to  our  view  a  great  sufterer  who  can  hardly  be 
any  other  than  the  Messiah.  It  seems  probable  that 
Jeremiah  was  the  type  of  the  great  sufferer,  for  he  was 
the  hero  of  the  exiles,  the  great  historical  sufferer  for  God. 
But  even  this  prince  of  sufferers  does  not  attain  the 
heights  of  the  ideal  of  these  psalms.  He  is  the  basis  of 
the  representation,  but  the  divine  Spirit  guided  the 
psalmists  to  discern  and  describe  a  sufferer  whose  expe- 
rience was  vastly  more  bitter  than  that  of  Jeremiah, 
and  whose  sufferings  were  rewarded  with  a  redemption 
which  Jeremiah  did  not  gain. 

There  is  a  vividness  of  intense  realization  of  suffering 
on  the  part  of  these  psalmists.  They  must  have  been 
great  sufferers  themselves.  They  describe  sufferings  in  such 
minute  details  and  with  such  an  intensity  of  feeling,  that 
these  must  be  real  though  extravagant.  The  ideal  seems 
to  be  real,  so  keenly  is  it  apprehended  and  so  \4vidly  is 
it  described.  The  psalmists  sink  deep  in  the  apprehen- 
sion of  their  own  sorrows,  but  these  lead  to  depths  of 
woe  which  are  apprehended  in  the  imagination  and  fancy 
through  foreboding  and  presentiment.  Deep  in  the 
depths  of  their  own  sorrows,  from  the  lowermost  pit  into 
which  they  have  fallen  they  are  conscious  of  deeper  woes 
1  See  p.  172.  2  gee  pp.  176,  275,  302. 


PROPHETIC  VOICES  OUT  OF  THE  EXILE.  323 

that  surge  up  about  them,  filling  them  with  treinbling 
and  horror. 

§  88.  Fs.  XXII,  describes  a  sufferer  witJi  stretched  lody, 
feverish  frarne,  and  pierced  hands  and  feet.  He  is  sur- 
7Vic7ided  hy  cruel  enemies,  who  mock  him  for  his  trust  in 
God,  and  divide  his  garments  as  their  spoil.  Re  is  aban- 
doned hy  God  for  a  season,  until  he  is  brought  to  the  dust 
of  death.  lie  is  then  delivered,  and  praises  his  deliverer  I 
with  sacrifices,  in  which  the  great  congregation  of  Israel' 
join.  The  ends  of  the  earth  are  called  upon  to  turn  unto 
Jehovah.  * 

I.  "  My  'El,  my  'El,  why  dost  thou  forsake  me  ? 

Far  from  my  salvation  are  the  words  of  my  roaring.' 

My  God,  I  cry  in  the  daytime,  but  thou  answerest  not ; 

And  in  the  night ;  and  there  is  no  silence  to  me. 

But  O  thou  holy  one, 

Enthroned  upon  the  praises  of  Israel : 

In  thee  our  fathers  trusted  : 

They  trusted,  and  thou  didst  deliver  them  : 

Unto  thee  they  cried,  and  they  were  rescued : 

In  thee  they  trusted,  and  were  not  ashamed. 

II.  But  I,  a  worm  and  no  man ; 

A  reproach  of  mankind,  and  despised  of  the  people : 

All  seeing  me  laugh  me  to  scorn; 

They  shoot  out  the  lip,  they  shake  the  head, 

(Saying)  '  Eoll  on  Jahveh ;  let  him  deliver  him  ; 

Let  him  rescue  him,  if  he  delight  in  him.' 

But  O  thou  who  took  me  from  the  belly ; 

"Who  made  me  trust,  upon  the  breast  of  my  mother ; 

Upon  thee  was  I  cast  from  the  womb, 

From  the  belly  of  my  mother  thou  art  my  'El. 

^  '•in.  The  construction  is  disputed.  The  A.V.,  R.V.,  so 
Perowne,  render  as  if  the  force  of  the  preposition  p  with  ''nV1t^'^ 
were  carried  over  to  this  word.  But  it  is  better,  with  Jerome, 
Delitzsch,  and  the  margin  of  the  E.V.,  to  make  the  clause  complete 
in  itself.  There  is  a  chasm  between  the  words  of  the  cry  and  the 
redemption.     This  is  the  inexplicable  feature  of  the  sufferings. 


324  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

III.  Be  not  far  from  me,  for  there  is  trouble ; 
Be  neai',  for  there  is  no  helper.^ 

Many  bulls  have  encompassed  me  : 

Mighty  ones  of  Bashan  have  enclosed  me  ; 

They  gape  upon  me  with  tlieii'  mouth — 

A  lion  ravening  and  roaring. 

As  water  I  am  poured  out, — 

Yea,  all  my  bones  have  parted  themselves : 

My  heart  is  become  like  wax  ; 

It  is  melted  in  the  midst  of  my  bowels. 

IV.  My  strength  is  dried  up  like  a  potsherd, 
And  my  tongue  is  made  to  cleave  to  my  jaws  ; 
And  in  the  dust  of  death  thou  layest  me  ;  ^ 
For  dogs  have  encompassed  me  : 

The  assembly  of  evil  ones  have  enclosed  me ; 

They  are  piercing  my  hands  and  my  feet.* 

I  count  all  my  bones ; 

They  look,  they  stare  upon  me  ; 

They  divide  my  garments  among  them, 

And  over  my  clothing  they  cast  a  lot. 

V.  O  thou,  Jahveh,  be  not  far  off : 
My  strength,  O  haste  to  my  help  ; 
O  deliver  my  Hfe  from  the  sword, 


^  r\2T\p  is  wrongly  attached  to  the  previous  line  by  the  Masso- 
retes  and  most  interpreters. 

2  The  K V.  renders  ''jnSK^n  as  a  perfect,  "  Thou  hast  brought  me." 
Perowne  renders  as  future,  "  Thou  wilt  lay  me."  It  is  better,  with 
Delitzsch,  to  render  as  present,  "  Thou  layest  me." 

^  """INS,  as  pointed  in  the  Massoretic  text,  is  difficult  of  explana- 
tion, it  seems  to  require  the  rendering  "  like  the  lion."  But  the 
figure  of  the  lion  has  been  left  above  where  the  form  rT^IX  was  used  ; 
••"^i^  is  not  used  for  Hon  in  the  Psalter.  The  ancient  Versions  all 
render  by  a  verb,  though  they  differ  somewhat  in  the  meaning 
given  to  the  form.  The  LXX.,  Peshitto,  Arabic  and  Vulgate  render 
"they  pierced"  or  "bored  through,"  taking  ~i{<3  as  equivalent  to 
"113  =  niD.  But  Aquila,  Symmachus  and  Jerome  follow  the  corre- 
sponding Arabic  word,  and  render  "  bound."  The  consensus  of  the 
Versions  can  be  explained  only  by  a  different  pointing.  In  this 
case  it  is  easier  to  point  as  a  construct  participle  '•■l^<^,  as  Perowne, 

than  to  change  the  form  into  a  perfect  llfc^D,  as  Delitzsch  after 
several  Hebrew  MSS. 


PEOPHETIC  VOICES  OUT  OF  THE  EXILE,  325 

From  the  power  of  the  dog  my  darh'ng, 

Save  me  from  the  mouth  of  the  Hon. 

Yea,  from  the  horns  of  the  yore  ox  thou  hast  answered  me. 

I  will  declare  thy  name  to  my  brethren, 

In  the  midst  of  the  congregation  I  will  praise  thee. 

Ye  that  fear  Jahveh,  praise  him  ; 

All  the  seed  of  Jacob,  glorify  him. 

VI.  Yea,  stand  in  awe  of  him,  all  the  seed  of  Israel, 
For  he  hath  not  despised. 

And  he  hath  not  abhorred  the  affliction  of  an  afflicted  one  ; 
And  he  hath  not  hid  his  face  from  him  ; 
But  when  he  cried  unto  him  he  heard. 
From  thee  comes  my  praise  in  the  great  congregation  : 
My  vows  I  shall  pay  in  the  presence  of  those  who  fear  him. 
The  meek  will  eat  and  they  will  be  satisfied  : 
Those  who  seek  him  will  praise  Jahveh, 
(Saying)  '  Let  your  heart  live  for  ever.' 

VII.  Let  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  remember,  and  let  thera  turn 

unto  Jahveh, 
And  let  all  the  kindreds  of  the  nations  worship  before  thee  ; 
For  Jahveh's  is  the  kingdom,  and  he  is  ruling  over  the 

nations. 
Have  all  the  fat  ones  of  the  earth  eaten  and  worshipped, 
All  who  go  down  to  the  pit  and  he  who  did  not  keep  his  soul 

alive  will  bow  down  ; 
A  seed  will  serve  him.     It  will  be  told  of  'Adonay  to  the 

generation, 
They  will  come,  and  they  will  declare  his  righteousness  to  a 

nation  to  be  born,  that  he  hath  done  it." 

This  psalm  is  composed  of  six  strophes,  of  ten  tri- 
meter lines  each,  with  a  supplementary  strophe  of  seven 
pentameter  lines.-^  The  first  strophe  presents  the  sufferer 
in  his  extremity.      He  is  abandoned  by  God,  and  unable 

1  This  psalm  bears  the  name  of  David  in  the  title.  But  it  is 
well  known  that  the  titles  of  the  psalms  do  not  come  from  their 
authors,  but  from  very  late  editors.  It  is  disputed  whether  111? 
denotes  authorship  by  David,  or  indicates  that  the  psalm  originally 
belonged  to  another  Psalter  that  bore  the  name  of  David  without 
meaning  to  imply  that  David  was  the  author  of  the  psalms  contained 


326  MESSIANIC  rROPIIECY. 

to  explain  an  experience  so  different  from  that  of  the 
fathers.  Those  who  seek  refuge  in  Jahveh  liave  ever 
been  delivered,  but  he  seems  to  be  an  exception.  The 
second  strophe  describes  the  cruel  mockery  of  his  enemies. 
They  make  sport  of  his  trust  in  God,  and  exult  over 
his  abandonment.  The  next  two  strophes  describe  the 
terrible  situation  of  the  sufferer.  He  is  surrounded  by 
his  enemies,  who  combine  the  evil  dispositions  of  dogs, 
wild  bulls,  lions  and  wicked  men.  They  gloat  over  his 
sufferings  and  greedily  wait  for  his  death,  that  they 
may  appropriate  his  garments  and  divide  them  as  a  spoU. 
He  suffers  as  a  man  whose  body  is  racked  with  pain, 
so  that  every  bone  stands  forth  in  its  own  individuality 
with  its  special  ache.  He  is  consumed  with  fever,  and 
burns  with  intense  thirst.  His  hands  and  feet  are 
pierced  or  bored  through,  and  he  is  alone  in  his  agony, 
with  no  helper.  These  sufferings  transcend  those  of  any 
historical  sufferer,  with  the  single  exception  of  Jesus 
Christ.  They  find  their  exact  counterpart  in  the  suf- 
ferings of  the  cross.  They  are  more  vivid  in  their 
realization  of  that  dreadful  scene  than  the  story  of  the 
Gospels.  The  most  strilving  features  of  these  sufferings 
are  seen  there,  in  the  piercing  of  the  hands  and  feet, 
the  body  stretched  upon  the  cross,  the  intense  thirst,  and 
the  division  of  the  garments.^  The  next  two  strophes 
set  forth  the  divine  answer  to  the  prayers  and  vows  of 
the  sufferer.  He  is  delivered  from  the  dust  of  death, 
and  praises  his  deliverer  in  the  congregation  of  Israel ; 
and  there  is  great  joy  at  the  sacrificial  feast  in  com- 
memoration of  the  event.     The  supplementary  strophe 

therein.  Critics  are  agreed  that  the  date  of  a  jDsalm  is  to  be  deter- 
mined chiefly  from  internal  evidence.  Dean  Perowne  is  in  accord 
with  most  recent  critics  in  assigning  this  ])sahn  to  the  period  of  the 
exile  (see  Book  of  Psalms^  6th  ed.  1886,  i.  p.  244). 

1  Matt,    xxvii.   39-46;  Mark  xv.   29-34;   Luke    xxiii.  35-38; 
John  xix.  23-30. 


PROPHETIC  VOICES  OUT  OF  THE  EXILE.  327 

sets  forth  the  world-wide  importance  of  this  deliverance. 
All  the  ends  of  the  earth  are  exhorted  to  turn  unto 
Jahveh  and  worship  before  Him,  who  is  the  universal 
king  and  ruler  of  all  nations.  His  praise  will  resound 
in  generations  yet  unborn. 

The  sufferings  of  this  psalm  are  ideal  sufferings,  based 
upon  the  experience  of  Israel  in  exile,  and  especially  of 
the  pious  prophets ;  but  they  look  forward  to  severer 
sufferings  than  any  that  have  yet  been  endured.  This 
ideal  is  a  Messianic  ideal,  that  finds  its  only  historical 
realization  in  Jesus  Christ. 

The  great  sufferer  of  Ps.  xxii.  also  appears  in  Pss.  xL, 
Ixix.,  Ixx.  These  have  the  same  pentameter  movement, 
and  seem  to  have  been  originally  one  poem/  comprising 
seven  strophes,  of  ten  lines  each. 

§  89.  Fss.  XL,  LXIX.,  and   LXX.  describe  a  sufferer] 
wJio  is  entirely  consecrated  to  the  divine  service.     He  siffers  - 

1  Ps.  Ixx.  is  only  another  version  of  Ps.  xl.  14-18.  Pss.  Ixix.  and  \ 
xl.  have  the  same  historical  situation,  and  their  correspondence  in 
style  and  phrases  is  so  evident,  that  it  is  generally  agreed  that  they 
have  the  same  author.  Although  Delitzsch  adheres  to  the  tra- 
ditional view  of  the  authorship  of  Ps.  xxii.,  he  agrees  with  Hitzig 
that  Pss.  xl.  and  Ixix.  have  a  common  origin,  and  that  Ps.  Ixix.  is 
best  explained  from  the  life  of  Jeremiah.  There  are  many  features 
of  resemblance  with  that  prophet,  and  also  with  the  Book  of  Lamen- 
tations. The  diiference  between  the  first  and  second  half  of  Ps. 
xl.  is  recognized  by  Delitzsch,  who  agrees  with  other  critics  that 
the  two  parts  were  once  separate,  and  tliat  they  were  combined  for 
use  in  worship.  But  notwithstanding  the  break  between  vers.  12 
and  13,  there  is  yet,  as  Perowne  remarks,  a  play  in  the  second 
half  of  the  psalm  on  words  already  occurring  in  the  first  half,  which 
shows  an  original  connection  between  them.  The  break  occurs  at 
ver.  13,  and  this  is  not  included  in  Ps.  Ixx.  A  study  of  the  strophical 
organization  of  the  three  psalms  has  convinced  me  that  all  the 
facts  of  the  case  are  best  harmonized  by  regarding  Pss.  xl.  and  Ixix. 
as  originally  one.  Ps.  xl.  13  is  in  striking  accord  with  the  begmnnig 
of  Ps.  Ixix.,  and  is  not  included  in  Ps.  Ixx.  It  seems  to  me  therefore 
that  the  whole  of  Ps.  Ixix.  ought  to  be  inserted  here.  This  explams 
the  omission  of  ver.  13  from  Ps.  Ixx.,  and  also  its  omission  from 
Ps.  Ixix.,  where  it  was  deemed  best  in  making  the  separation  that 
the  psalm  should  begin  with  prayer. 


328  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

reproaches  for  the  people  of  God.  He  is  consumed  with 
zeal  for  the  house  of  God.  He  fasts  and  prays,  and  yet  is 
ahandoned  hy  God  to  his  oiemies.  They  persecute  him 
bitterly  with  mocking  words  and  cruel  deeds.  He  is  plunged 
in  a  miry  and  watery  pit,  and  is  in  peril  of  life.  He 
suffers  intense  thirst,  and  is  dying  of  a  broken  heart.  He 
finds  no  compassion.  Even  his  own  kindred  have  forsaken 
him,  and  he  is  the  scorn  of  the  luicked.  They  give  him 
vinegar  and  gall  for  his  nourishment.  But  his  patient 
waiting  is  at  last  rewarded.  His  enemies  incur  a  terrible 
doom,  luhile  he  proclaims  his  deliverance  in  the  great 
congregation  to  the  joy  of  all  the  meek. 

I.  "I  waited  patiently  on  Jahveli  ;  and  he  inclined  unto  me, 

And  heard  my  cry,  and  brought  me  up  from  the  pit  of  deso- 
lation, from  the  clay  of  the  mire,^ 
And  set  my  feet  upon  a  rock,  established  my  steps. 
And  gave  a  new  song  ^  in  my  mouth — praise  to  our  God. 
Many  see  ^  and  they  fear,  and  they  trust  in  Jahveh. 
Blessed  is  the  man  who  has  made  Jahveh  his  trust. 
And  hath  not  turned  unto  the  proud  *  and  lying  apostates. 
Many  things  thou  hast  done,  Jahveh  my  God, 
Thy  wonders  and  thy  thoughts  respecting  us — there  is  no 

estimating  unto  thee. 
Should  I  tell  and  should  I  speak  them,  they  are  stronger  ^  in 
number  than  can  be  counted. 

IX  Peace- oflfering  with  vegetable-offering  thou  hast  no  delight  in  ; 
ears  ^  hast  thou  bored  me  : 


^  The  same  situation  is  described  in  similar  terms  in  Ps.  Ixix. 
3,  14  (see  strophes  iii.  lines  4-6,  v.  lines  1-3),  also  in  Lam.  iii. 
53-58,  and  in  Jer.  xxxviii.  6. 

^  Einn  "i-C'.     See  Isa.  xlii.  10 ; 

^  Compare  Isa.  xlix.  7,  Hi.  15. 

*  D'^Urn  is  only  found  here.  The  singular  3n"i  is  used  of  Egypt 
as  the  boastful  and  insolent  power,  the  sea-monster,  Ps.  Ixxxix.  11 ; 
Isa.  U.  9. 

*  DVy  is  used  in  this  sense  in  Ps.  Lxix.  5  and  Jer.  xxx.  14,  15. 

^  The  LXX.  and  Heb.  x.  5  use  auy.a.,  which  is  certainly  no  trans- 
lation of  jtx.     Some  regard  this  as  a  mistake  of  a  Greek  copyist, 


PEOPHETIO  VOICES  OUT  OF  THE  EXILE.  329 

Whole  burnt-ofFering  with  sin  ^  thou  hast  not  asked  :   then 

said  I, 
Lo,  I  am  come  with  the  book  roll,  written  concerning  me  ; 
To  do  thy  pleasure,  my  God,  I  delight,  and  thy  instruction  is 

in  the  midst  of  my  bowels. 
I  have  preached  righteousness  in  the   great  congregation,^ 

behold  my  lips. 
I  cannot  refrain,  Jahveh,  thou  knowest. 
Thy  righteousness  I  have  not  covered  in  the  midst  of  my  heart ; 

thy  faithfulness  and  thy  salvation. 
I  said,  I  have  not  concealed  thy  mercy  and  thy  faithfulness 

from  the  great  congregation. 
Thou,  Jahveh,  wilt  not  refrain  thy  compassion  from  me  ; 
Thy  mercy  and  thy  faithfulness  will  continually  preserve  me. 

III.  For  evils  have  encompassed  me  until  there  is  no  number. 
Mine  iniquities  have  overtaken  me,  and  I  am  unable  to  see ; 
They  are  stronger  in  number  than  the  hairs  of  my  head,  my 

heart  doth  forsake  me. 
Save  me,  O  God,  for  waters  are  come  unto  my  life.' 
I  am  plunged  into  the  mire  of  the  abyss,  and  there  is  no 

standing  ; 
I  am  come  into  the  depths  of  water,  and  a  flood  doth  over- 
whelm me : 

who  repeated  the  last  letter  of  the  previous  word,  and  wrote  aa(Aa. 
instead  of  tir'/ot,  on  the  ground  that  some  Greek  MSS.  have  uricA, 
and  the  Vulgate  renders,  aures.  But  it  is  more  likely  a  correction 
after  the  Hebrew.  It  is  possible  that  the  LXX.  found  D^V  in  the 
Hebrew  MSS.  used  by  them.     See  Lam.  iv.  7. 

^  nj^IDn  is  usually  translated  "  sin-offering"  here.  But  the  technical 
term  for  sin-offering  is  n^<t2^,  an  intensive  noun,  which  corresponds 
with  the  Piel  of  the  verb.  These  intensive  forms  are  alone  suited 
to  the  idea  of  expiation,  as  we  see  likewise  in  the  corresponding 
verbs  inD,  "IQD,  K'Tp.  Other  technical  terms  are  used  in  this  passage, 
n^iy,  n^T  and  nn^D-  There  is  no  reason  for  an  exception  in  the  case 
of  the  sin-offering.  ilNDn  is  seldom  used  in  the  Old  Testament. 
In  the  other  passages,  Gen.  xx.  9,  Ps.  xxxii.  1,  it  can  only  mean 
sin.  Why  should  it  mean  anything  else  here  ?  The  context  does 
not  require  it.  For  the  n^T  and  nn^D  are  closely  associated  offerings, 
but  there  is  no  manner  of  connection  between  the  npiV  and  the 
nXDn.  See  my  article.  The  Argument  e  silentio,  in  the  Journal  of 
the  Sac.  of  Bib.  Lit.  and  Exegesis^  1883,  p.  14  seq, 

*  Compare  Ps.  xxii.  23,  2G. 

'  With  this  line  Ps.  Ixix.  begins. 


330  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

I  am  weary  with  my  calling,  my  throat  is  become  hot,  mine 

eyes  do  fail. 
"While  waiting  for  my  God,  those  hating  me  without  cause 

have  become  more  than  the  hairs  of  my  head  ; 
Mine  enemies  in  a  lie  have  become  stronger  in  number  than 

my  locks.^     What  I  did  not  spoil  I  then  returned.^ 

0  God,  thou  dost  know  of  my  folly ;  and  my  faults  from  thee 

are  not  hid. 

TV.  Let  not  those  who  wait  on  thee  be  ashamed  through  me, 

'Adonay  Jahveh  Sabaoth  : 
Let  not  those  who  seek  thee  be  upbraided  through  me,  God 

of  Israel : 
Because  for  thy  sake  I  have  borne  reproach  ;  upbraiding  hath 

covered  my  face ; 

1  am  become  a  stranger  to  my  brothers,  a  foreigner  to  the 

sons  of  my  mother. 
For  zeal  for  tliine  house  consumed  me,  and  the  reproaches  of 

them  that  reproached  thee  have  fallen  on  me. 
When  I  myself  wept  with  fasting,  it  became  a  reproach  to  me  ; 
When  I  made  my  garments  sackcloth,  I  became  a  proverb  to 

them  ; 
Those  sitting  in  the  gate  compose  against  me,  even  the  songs 

of  wine- bibbers. 
But  as  for  me,  my  prayer  is  to  thee,  Jahveh,  at  the  time  of 

acceptance. 
O  God,  in  the  abundance  of  thy  mercy  answer  me,  in  the 

faithfulness  of  thy  salvation. 

V.  Deliver  me  from  the  mire,  and  let  me  not  be  overwhelmed. 
Let  me  be  delivered  from  those  that  hate  me. 
Let  not  the  flood  of  waters  overwhelm  me,  and  let  me  not  be 
swallowed  up  in  the  abyss. ^ 

^  ^n''DVD  is  followed  by  the  KV.  and  most  interpreters,  but  the 
thought  is  inapiDropriate.  It  should  be  pointed  "TlOi'D,  with  Ewald. 
Hupfeld  would  follow  the  Peshitto,  and  read  TlI'DVyD  =  tban  my  bones. 

^  y^i<  TS  is  difficult.  Delitzsch  and  Perowne  regard  tx  as 
equivalent  to  nXT-  But  with  their  rendering,  which  is  followed  by 
the  margin  of  the  R.V.,  we  should  expect  the  jussive  form.  It  is 
better  to  take  TX  as  the  particle  of  time,  and  give  it  its  usual  force 
as  a  vav  coiisec. 

^  W"0  ""pDyiODI  has  crept  into  the  text  by  repetition  from  ver.  3. 


PROPHETIC  VOICES  OUT  OF  THE  EXILE.  331 

Let  not  the  well  keep  guard  over  me  with  its  mouth. 
Answer  me,   Jahveh,   according  ^  to   the   excellence   of  thy 

mercy,  according  to  the  abundance  of  thy  compassion 

turn  unto  me. 
And  hide  not  thy  face  from  thy  servant.     I  am  straitened. 

Haste,  answer  me. 
Draw  near  unto  my  life.     Eansom  it :  on  account  of  mine 

enemies  redeem  me. 
Thou  knowest  my  reproach,  and  my  shame  and  my  upbraiding. 
Before  thee  are  all  my  adversaries.     Reproach  hath  broken 

my  heart 
When  2  I  was  sore  sick,  and  hoped  for  some  to  pity  and  for 

compassionate  ones,  and  found  them  not : 
They  gave  in  my  eating  gall,^  and  in  my  thirst  they  give  *  me 

vinegar  to  drink. 

VI.  Let  their  table  before  them  become  a  snare,  and  for  their 

recompense  ^  a  trap. 
Let  their  eyes  be  darkened  from  seeing,  and  their  loins  be 

continually  tottering. 
Pour  out  upon  them  thine  indignation,  and  let  the  heat  of 

thy  wrath  overtake  them. 
Let  their  habitation  be  desolate,  in  their  tents  let  there  be  no 

inhabitant. 
For  O  thou  who  hast  smitten,^  they  have  pursued,  and  they 

recount  the  pain  of  thy  pierced  ones. 

^  The  3lt3  ""a  should  be  changed  to  D")tD3,  in  accordance  with  the 
parallel  n^D-  A  similar  copyist  mistake  we  have  found  in  Num. 
xxiii.  7.     See  p.  105. 

2  The  vav  consecutive  of  the  imperfect  introduces  a  temporal 
clause. 

3  See  Lam.  iii.  15.    T\T\2  is  only  found  here. 

*  "'J'lpC^^  The  change  of  tense  is  difficult.  We  might  suppose 
with  some  that  this  is  a  case  where  the  vav  consec.  is  used  with 
a  qualifying  word  between  it  and  its  verb.  But  it  is  better  to 
regard  it  as  changing  the  colour  of  the  action. 

^  The  Massoretic  D''Di!?*^  =  peaceful,  secure,  is  not  so  well  suited 
to  the  context  as  the  reading  D''D^K^  =  recompense,  of  the  LXX. 
The  R. V.  renders,  after  the  Massoretic  text,  "  when  they  are  in  peace." 

®  HK^i^  nni<  ''3,  etc.,  is  rendered  by  the  R. V.  "  for  they  persecute 
him  whom  Thou  hast  smitten."  But  the  nnx  is  emphatic  in  position, 
and  the  relative  seems  to  refer  more  naturally  to  it.     The  Psalmist 


332  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

Add  iniquity  unto  their  iniquity,  and  let  them  not  come  into 

thy  righteousness. 
Let  them  be  blotted  out  of  the  book  of  life,  and  let  them  not 

be  written  with  the  righteous. 
Since  I  am  an  afflicted  one,  and  a  sufferer  of  pain,  O  God,  let 

thy  salvation  lift  me  on  high. 
I  will  praise  the  name  of  God  with  a  song,  and  I  will  magnify 

him  with  a  thank-offering. 
Yea,  it  will  please  Jahveh  better  than  an  ox  or  bullock  with 

horns — with  hoofs. 

VII.  Have  the  afflicted  seen,  the  seekers  of  God  will  rejoice  (saying), 

'  Let  your  heart  live,'  ^ 
For  Jahveh  is  a  hearer  of  the  poor,  and  the  prisoner  he  hath 

not  despised.2 
O  God  ^  to  deliver  me,  Jahveh  to  my  help,  0  haste.* 
Let  them  be  ashamed  and  let  them  be  confounded,  the  seekers 

of  my  life  to  destroy  it.^ 
Let  them  be  turned  backward  and  dishonoured  who  delight 

in  my  evih 
Let  them  be  desolate  ^  for  a  reward  of  then-  shame,  who  say  ^ 

to  me,  Aha  !  Aha  ! 
Let  them  exult,  and  let  them  rejoice  in  thee,  all  who  seek  thee. 

means  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  Jahveh  had  smitten  him,  and  that 
then  his  enemies  had  pursued  him  in  addition.     The  same  thought 
is  found  in  Job  xix.  6-22. 
1  Compare  Ps.  xxii.  27. 

*  The  remaining  lines  of  Ps.  Ixix.  constitute  a  trimeter,  and  are 
a  later  liturgical  addition,  and  do  not  properly  belong  to  the  psalm. 

^  The  70th  Psalm  begins  here.  We  shall  give  a  translation  of  the 
text  that  comes  from  a  critical  comparison  of  Ps.  Ixx.  with  Ps.  xL 

*  Ps.  Ixx.  reads  '>:h^'irf?  DM^X,  Ps.  xl.  "tj^^vnij  mn^  nvi-  The  former 
is  more  difficult.  The  latter  repeats  mn%  and  makes  the  line  too 
long.  It  would  be  more  natural  to  add  the  imjDerative  than  to 
leave  it  off. 

*  Ps.  Ixx.  omits  in''  and  nniQD?  of  Ps.  xl.  This  makes  the  line 
too  short.  nSD  is  an  unusual  word  that  a  copyist  would  not  be 
likely  to  add  to  an  original  text,  but  nrT*  is  probably  an  addition. 
It  makes  the  line  too  long. 

^  Ps.  Ixx.  reads  Uli:*"*,  Ps.  xl.  IDK^"*.  The  hitter  is  more  difficult, 
and  more  likely  to  be  original. 

'  Ps.  xL  gives  1^  after  D''"lDfc<n.  This  Ls  more  likely  to  be 
original. 


PROPHETIC  VOICES  OUT  OF  THE  EXILE.  333 

Let  them  say  continually,  Jahveh  be  magnified,  the  lovers  of 

thy  salvation.  1 
Seeing  that  I  am  aiSicted  and  poor,  let  'Adonay  think  upon  me.^ 
O  thou  my  help  and  my  deliverer,  my  God,  do  not  tarry."  ^ 

This  psalm  evidently  has  Jeremiah's  experience  in 
view  as  the  basis  of  its  representation.  The  first  strophe 
gives  a  brief  reference  to  the  miserable  situation  of  the 
sufferer,  and  then  praises  God  for  the  deliverance  He  has 
wrought.  The  order  of  topic  is  the  reverse  of  that  of 
Ps.  xxii.,  for  the  description  of  sufferings  follows  the 
statement  of  the  deliverance.  But  it  is  probably  chiefly 
a  past  experience  that  the  Psalmist  is  describing.  The 
second  strophe  sets  forth  the  entire  consecration  of  the 
sufferer  to  the  divine  service.  Instead  of  offering  the 
sacrifices  of  the  ritual,  the  whole  burnt-offerings,  peace- 
offerings,  and  vegetable-offerings,  connected  as  they  might 
be  and  often  were  with  sin  in  the  offerer,  he  offers  him- 
self a  sacrifice  to  God,  and  is  assured  that  God  accepts 
him.  The  sufferer  has  his  delight  in  doing  the  pleasure 
of  Jahveh.  The  roll  of  divine  instruction  is  in  his  hands, 
but  the  divine  instruction  itself  is  in  his  heart ;  and  he 
proclaims  the  faithfulness,  mercy  and  compassion  of  God 
to  the  great  congregation  of  Israel.  This  reminds  us  of 
the  new  covenant  of  Jeremiah,  of  the  roll  of  the  law  dis- 
covered in  the  temple  and  used  as  a  basis  of  the  reform 
of  Josiah,  and  of  the  language  of  Deuteronomy  itself.* 

1  Ps.  Ixx.  has  U'^nbi^  h"i:\  where  Ps.  xl.  has  niiT'  hli''  and  ^nyity* 
for  'inyi^n.     The  readings  of  the  latter  are  better. 

2  Ps.  Ixx.  has  >b  n^)n  DNli^N*,  and  Ps.  xl.  >b  aC^H^  ""ilX.  The 
latter  is  more  likely  to  be  correct. 

^  Ps.  Ixx.  has  nry  for  "Tliry  of  Ps.  xl.,  and  U'^nhi^  for  \n^x.  The 
latter  is  better. 

^  Jer.  xxxi.  33.  See  p.  256  ;  2  Kings  xxii.  8  seq.  ;  Deut.  xxx. 
11-14.  The  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  (x.  8  seq.)  applies  this  passage  to 
Jesus  Christ.  It  follows  the  LXX.  in  its  deviation  from  the  original 
text,  and  yet  does  not  miss  the  meaning  of  the  passage.  The  sufferer  of 
the  psalm  offers  himself  instead  of  the  offerings  of  the  ritual,  and  this 
offering  of  his  own  person  is  accepted  by  God.  None  but  Jesus  Christ 
could  in  fact  make  such  a  substitution  and  find  entire  acceptance. 


334  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

The  third  strophe  begins  the  description  of  the  suffer- 
ings of  the  Psahnist.  His  iniquities  have  indeed  over- 
taken him  and  overwhelmed  him.  He  does  not  exclude 
himself  from  the  company  of  sinners  notwithstanding  he 
has  become  a  sacrifice  acceptable  to  God.  The  Psalmist's 
ideal  is  mingled  with  the  historical  reality.  He  is  unable 
to  remove  his  ideal  entirely  from  the  connection  of  sin 
and  suffering  in  actual  experience.  We  have  no  direct 
prophecy,  but  typical  prophecy.^ 

This  sufferer's  woes  are  very  great.  He  is  plunged, 
like  Jeremiah,  in  a  pit  whose  filth  defiles  him,  and  whose 
waters  rise  up  about  him  and  threaten  his  life.  His 
throat  is  parched  with  thirst  and  with  agony  in  his 
calling  upon  God.  His  enemies  have  prevailed  over  him, 
and  they  are  innumerable,  so  that  they  cannot  be  resisted. 
They  have  spoiled  him,  and  forced  him  to  give  up  that 
which  he  had  not  taken  from  them.  God  knows  his 
faults,  but  they  are  not  against  his  enemies.  These  are 
treating  him  with  injustice  and  wrong. 


^  "  The  history  of  prophets  and  holy  men  of  old  is  a  typical  history. 
They  were,  it  may  be  said,  representative  men,  suffering  and  hoping, 
not  for  themselves  only,  but  for  the  nation  whom  they  represented. 
In  their  sufferings,  they  were  feeble  and  transient  images  of  the 
Great  Sufferer,  who  by  His  sufferings  accomplished  man's  redemp- 
tions :  their  hopes  could  never  be  fully  realized  but  in  the  issue  of  His 
work,  nor  their  as]:)irations  be  truly  uttered  save  by  His  mouth. 
But  confessions  of  sinfulness  and  imprecations  of  vengeance,  ming- 
ling with  these  better  hopes  and  aspirations,  are  a  beacon  to  guide 
us  in  our  interpretation.  They  teach  us  that  the  psalm  is  not  a  pre- 
diction ;  that  the  Psalmist  does  not  put  himself  in  the  place  of  the 
Messiah  to  come.  They  show  us  that  here,  as  indeed  in  all  Scrip- 
ture, two  streams,  the  human  and  the  divine,  flow  on  in  the  same 
channel.  They  seem  designed  to  remind  us  that  if  prophets  and 
minstrels  of  old  were  types  of  the  Great  Teacher  of  the  Clmrch,  yet 
that  they  were  so  only  in  some  respects  and  not  altogether.  They 
bear  witness  to  the  imperfection  of  those  by  whom  God  sj^ake  in 
time  j)ast  unto  the  fathers,  in  many  portions  and  in  many  ways, 
even  whilst  they  point  to  Him  who  is  the  Living  Word,  the  perfect 
revelation  of  the  Father." — Perowne,  Book  of  FsahnSy  i.  p.  562,  6th 
ed.  1886. 


PKOPHETIC  VOICES  OUT  OF  THE  EXILE.  335 

The  fourth  strophe  gives  the  reason  of  the  sufferings. 
He  is  persecuted  for  righteousness'  sake,  on  account  of 
his  devotion  to  God  and  his  consecration  to  the  divine 
service.  His  prayers,  fastings  and  tears  have  excited 
their  contempt,  and  the  sufferer  fears  lest  all  the  pious 
will  be  discouraged  and  put  to  shame  because  of  his 
abandonment  by  God.  He  has  borne  reproaches  for  the 
sake  of  God.  He  has  been  consumed  with  zeal  for  the 
temple  now  in  ruins.  His  own  brothers  have  turned 
against  him,  and  wine-bibbers  have  made  him  their  sport 
and  song  of  derision.  But  he  still  perseveres  in  prayer, 
and  looks  forward  to  the  time  of  acceptance  when  the 
faithfulness  and  mercy  of  God  will  be  disclosed. 

The  fifth  strophe  describes  more  vividly  the  sufferings 
themselves.  The  pit  of  mire  and  water  is  like  a  covered 
well,  it  shuts  him  in  so  that  he  cannot  escape.  His  enemies 
with  their  reproaches  have  broken  his  heart.  He  is  sore 
sick,  and  his  condition  is  such  that  it  should  excite 
sympathy  and  compassion ;  but  his  enemies  multiply  his 
sorrows  so  that  his  nourishment  consists  in  bitter,  sour 
and  poisonous^  food  and  drink. 

The  sixth  strophe  is  a  terrible  imprecation  upon  the 
wicked  and  cruel  enemies  of  the  sufferer.  His  deliver- 
ance by  his  faithful  God  is  sure,  but  his  persecutors  will 
incur  a  dreadful  doom.  He  will  praise  God  with  thank- 
offerings  of  songs  of  praise  that  will  be  more  acceptable 
than  animal  sacrifice,  but  they  will  be  blotted  out  of  the 
book  of  life,  and  have  no  portion  with  the  righteous.^ 


1  This  is  a  figure  that  is  frequent  in  the  Old  Testament.  See  Job 
iii.  24  ;  Pss.  xlii.  4,  Ixxx.  6 ;  but  especially  Lam.  iii.  15.  The 
evangelist  found  a  realization  of  this  situation  in  the  thirst  of  our 
Saviour  upon  the  cross,  when  the  Eoman  soldiers  offered  Him  gall 
and  vinegar  (Matt,  xxvii.  34  ;  John  xix.  28,  29). 

2  The  Apostle  Peter  sees  this  fearful  imprecation  realized  in  the 
death  of  Judas  Iscariot,  and  the  exclusion  of  the  traitor  from  the 
band  of  the  apostles  (Acts  i.  19,  20). 


336  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

The  last  strophe  agrees  with  the  last  strophe  of  Ps. 
xxii.  in  representing  that  the  deliverance  of  this  sufferer 
has  universal  relations.  All  the  afflicted  and  the  seekers 
after  God  will  rejoice  with  him,  and  be  comforted  with 
the  additional  evidence  that  God  is  a  rewarder  of  the 
pious,  and  that  the  wicked  will  surely  be  confounded  and 
destroyed. 

These  psalms  of  the  great  sufferer  prepare  the  way  for 
the  suffering  servant  of  Isa.  liii. 


CHAPTEE  XI. 

THE  PROPHECY  OF  THE  SERVANT  OF  JAHVEH. 

Isaiah  xL-lxvi.  is  a  book  of  comfort,  cheering  the  exiles  X 
of  Israel  with  the  promise  of  the  advent  of  Jahveh  to 
redeem  them  from  bondage  and  restore  them  to  their 
holy  land.  It  is  a  further  unfolding  of  Jeremiah's  book 
of  comfort.^  The  apocalypse  of  Isaiah  xxxiv.-xxxv.  is 
its  prelude,  but  it  differs  from  that  apocalypse  in  that 
the  order  of  judgment  and  redemption  is  inverted.  The 
judgment  of  the  nations  is  separated  from  the  judgment 
of  Babylon,  and  is  associated  with  the  new  Jerusalem 
in  a  final  conflict  there  after  the  model  of  Ezekiel.^  This 
is  given  in  the  appendix  to  the  prophecy,  and  does  not 
enter  into  the  unfolding  of  its  great  theme.  The  pro- 
phecy itself  is  rather  a  presentation  of  the  glories  of 
redemption.  The  author  stands  on  the  loftiest  peak  of 
prophecy.  He  masses  more  Messianic  predictions  in  j 
his  book  than  any  of  the  prophets  that  preceded  him. 
He  carries  the  Messianic  idea  to  a  much  higher  stage  of 
development,  so  that  he  becomes  the  evangelical  prophet, 
who  seems  to  be  the  nearest  to  the  Messiah  and  the 
theology  of  the  New  Covenant.  The  circumstances  of 
the  exile  were  favourable  to  this.  It  is  doubtful  whether 
it  was  possible  for  a  prophet  living  in  the  land  of  Israel 
in  the  use  of  the  ceremonial  of  the  temple  of  Solomon, 
or  the  temple  of  Zerubbabel,  to  attain  those  profound 
spiritual  conceptions  of  God  and  divine  things  that  per- 
1  See  p.  247.  *  See  p.  279. 

Y 


338  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

vade  the  whole  of  this  sublime  poem.  Even  Ezekiel  was 
too  near  the  old  temple  to  escape  altogether  from  the 
influence  of  its  institutions.  But  the  prophecy  of  the 
great  unknown  reflects  the  experience  of  a  prophet  who 
had  lived  long  in  exile.  To  liim  the  worship  of  Jahveh 
consists  in  prayer  and  fasting,  in  observance  of  the 
Sabbath,  and  keeping  pure  from  the  abominations  of  the 
heathen.-^  By  these  more  spiritual  religious  exercises  the 
faithful  people  of  God  could  testify  their  attachment  to 
the  religion  of  their  fathers,  without  any  sacred  places  or 
sacred  institutions.  They  were  thereby  brought  into 
closer  communion  with  their  God,  when  priestly  media- 
tion and  ceremonial  access  were  out  of  the  question. 

This  marvellous  prophecy  is  certainly  in  its  present 
form  a  single  composition,  and  yet  it  is  difficult  to  show 
any  close  connection  between  its  parts.  Many  of  them 
can  be  removed  without  disturbing  the  flow  of  its 
thoudit  and  emotion.  There  is  indeed  a  lack  of  con- 
nection  in  several  places  that  has  attracted  the  attention 
of  critics,  and  has  led  to  the  conjecture  that  the  prophet 
uses  several  more  ancient  prophecies.  This  should  not 
surprise  us,  for  it  is  characteristic  of  the  writers  of  the 
period  to  use  older  prophets.  There  are  not  a  few 
citations  from  earlier  writings  that  are  evident.^  These 
examples  suggest  that  there  are  others  that  are  not  so 
evident,  but  that  may  be  detected  by  the  methods  of 
literary  criticism. 

The  prophecy  is  divided  into  three  sections  of  nine 
chapters  each  by  the  refrains/  xlviii.  22,  Ivii.  20,  21, 
Ixvi.  24. 

But  these  refrains  are  more  suited  to  the  last  chapter 
than  to  the  body  of  the  prophecy.     We   should   expect 

1  See  especially  Isa.  Hi.  11,  Ivi.  1-8,  Iviii.,  Ixvl  17. 

2  See  Isa.  li.  11,  Ixv.  25. 

•  See  Delitzsch  Isaiah,  ii.  p.  129, 


THE  rROPHECY  OF  THE  SERVANT  OF  JAHVEH.         339 

that  the  refrains  of  the  prephecy  would  emphasize  rather 
its  great  theme.  A  closer  examination  of  the  piece  dis- 
closes just  such  refrains  as  we  should  expect  in  xlii. 
14-17,  xlviii.  20-22,  lii.  11-12,  Ivii.  14-21,  Ixii. 
10-12.  These  all  involve  the  divine  advent  and  the 
deliverance  from  Babylon. 

The  last  of  these  refrains  corresponds  so  closely  with 
the  introduction  to  the  prophecy  xl.  1-12  that  we  may 
recjard  it  as  the  original  conclusion.  This  is  in  accord 
with  other  pecuHarities  of  the  closing  section.  We  have 
already  considered  the  little  piece,  Ixiii.  1-6,  elsewhere.^ 
It  has  no  sort  of  connection  with  its  present  context. 
And  the  section  Ixiii.  7-lxvi.  betrays  a  later  period  of  com- 
position, and  a  different  train  of  thought  from  that  which 
pervades  the  body  of  the  prophecy.  The  division  of  the 
prophecy  into  three  parts  seems  to  have  come  from  the 
final  arrangement  when  the  appendix  was  added. 

A  careful  examination  of  the  body  of  the  prophecy 
discloses  other  features  that  show  earlier  and  later 
sections.  There  are  differences  in  rhythm, — trimeters, 
pentameters,  and  hexameters.^  These  differences  might 
have  been  designed  to  give  variety  of  movement  to  a 
poem  of  such  great  length.  But  there  are  certain  facts 
that  seem  to  imply  that  the  trimeters  were  originally 
a  prophecy  by  itself.  The  introduction,  the  conclu- 
sion, and  the  intervening  refrains  have  the  longer 
movement.  If  there  be  a  difference  in  date,  the  trimeters 
must   be  earlier  than   the  framework  of    the   prophecy 


1  See  p.  313. 

2  It  is  not  always  easy  to  distinguisli  hexameters  from  trimeters, 
for  the  caesura  of  the  hexameter  usually  falls  in  the  middle  of  the 
line  dividing  it  into  two  trimeters.  But  they  may  he  distinguished 
in  part  by  the  occurrence  of  the  caesura  sometimes  after  the  second 
accent  and  sometimes  after  the  fourth  accent ;  and  in  part  by  the 
fact  that  the  second  half  of  the  hexameter  line  is  complementary  to 
the  first.     See  my  Biblical  Study,  p.  283. 


340  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

that  encloses  them.  There  are  also  several  long  pieces 
of  the  pentameter  movement,  and  lyrics  in  the  hexameter 
movement.  But  there  are  several  other  important  differ- 
ences, among  which  we  may  mention — (1)  That  the  great 
theme  of  the  trimeters  is  the  divine  advent  for  the 
deliverance  of  the  servant  of  Jahveh,  and  that  in  the 
pentameters  and  hexameters  the  wife  and  mother,  Zion, 
takes  the  place  of  the  servant  in  a  parallel  representation  ; 

(2)  that  the  great  conqueror  who  is  to  be  the  divine 
instrument  in  the  deliverance  of  Israel  is  referred  to  in  the 
trimeters  in  general  terms ;  but  in  the  other  part  of  the  poem 
is  named  by  his  nanle,  Cyrus  ;^  (3)  that  the  pentameters 
use  quite  frequently  the  divine  name  'Adonay  Jahveh.  It 
seems  to  me  therefore  that  there  was  an  earlier  prophecy 
with  the  trimeter  movement,  whose  great  theme  was  the 
divine  deliverance  of  the  servant  of  Jahveh ;  and  that 
this  was  taken  up  into  a  larger  prophecy  in  a  second 
edition  and  associated  with  a  parallel  theme,  the  divine 
deliverance  of  Zion,  the  wife  of  Jahveh. 

But  whatever  view  we  may  take  'of  these  differences, 
it  is  certainly  more  convenient  to  recognise  them  and 
to  discuss  the  Messianic  idea  of  the  prophecy  in  accord- 
ance with  the  lines  thus  marked  out. 

The  trimeter  poem  that  constitutes  the  original  basis 
01  the  prophecy  of  the  great  unknown  seems  to  have 
had  its  own  divisions.  We  may  distinguish  five  parts — 
(1)  xL-xli.   10,  xli.  13-xlii.  13;  (2)  xlii.   18-xliv.   23; 

(3)  xlviii.  1-11,  xlix.  1-13;  (4)  lii.  13-liii.,  Iv. ;  (5) 
Iviii -lix.,  Ixi.  These  parts  close  with  little  hymns  or  pieces 
of  similar  character.  The  theme  of  these  trimeters  is  the 
deliverance  of  the  servant  of  Jahveh.  There  is  consider- 
able difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  meaning  of  this  term. 
It  is  new  to  the  Messianic  idea.  It  is  the  contribution 
of  this  great  prophet  toward  the  unfolding  of  the  doctrine 

^  Isa.  xliv.  28,  xlv.  1 ;  comp.  xlvi.  11. 


THE  PROPHECY  OF  THE  SERVANT  OF  JAHVEH.         341 

of  redemption.  Moses  and  David  most  frequently  bear 
the  title,  servant  of  Jahveh/  but  it  is  also  used  with 
reference  to  other  holy  men,  such  as  Joshua,  Job,  Daniel, 
and  Zerubbabel.^  The  prophets  Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel 
use  the  term  for  Israel  as  a  whole.^  There  can  be  no 
doubt  that  we  have  the  same  usage  in  the  great  un- 
known. Israel  as  a  body  is  the  chosen  servant  of  Jahveh, 
whom  He  has  called  and  taken  to  Himself.  This  is  clear 
in  the  first  passage  where  it  occurs  in  our  prophet. 

"  But  thou,  Israel,  my  servant, 
Jacob,  whom  I  have  chosen, 
Seed  of  Abraham,  that  loved  me,* 
Thou  whom  I  took  hold  of  from  the  ends  of  the  earth, 
And  called  from  the  corners  thereof, 
And  to  whom  I  said.  Thou  art  my  servant ; 
I  have  chosen  thee  and  not  cast  thee  away. 
Fear  not,  for  I  am  with  thee  ; 
Be  not  dismayed,  for  I  am  thy  God  ; 
I  do  strengthen  thee,  yea,  I  do  help  thee, 
Yea,  I  do  uphold  thee  by  the  right  hand  of  my  righteousness." 

— xli.  8-10. 

Israel  is  here  contrasted  with  the  idolaters,  as  the 
servant  of  Jahveh.  They  have  reason  to  fear  the  judg- 
ment that  is  impending  in  the  approach  of  the  great 
conqueror  from  the  east,  but  Israel  has  nothing  to  fear ; 
for  Jahveh  is  all-powerful,  and  He  has  raised  up  this 
conqueror  to  do  His  service.  Israel  is  now  caUed  the 
servant  of  Jahveh  as  he  was  once  called  the  son  of  God, 
and  a  kingdom  of  priests.*     The  term  servant  is  generic, 

1  See  especially  Deut.  xxxiv.  5  ;  Jer.  xxxiii.  21  seq.     See  p.  245. 

2  Josh.  xxiv.  29  ;  Job  i.  8  ;  Dan.  vi.  21  ;  Hag.  ii.  23. 
8  Jer.  XXX.  10,  xlvi.  27,  28  ;  Ezek.  xxxvii.  25. 

*  "'inx.     The  participle  with  the  suffix  is  commonly  objective. 

So  Knobel  and  Cheyne  rightly  take  it.  But  the  R.  V.  adheres  to  the 
A. v.,  and  follows  most  interpreters  in  taking  the  suffix  as  referring 
to  the  subject,  "  whom  I  love,"  or  "my  friend.** 

*  See  pp.  100,  101. 


t 


342  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECT. 


as  the  term  son  and  kingdom  in  those  earlier  conceptions. 
If  all  the  passages  that  we  have  to  consider  remained  at 
this  level  they  would  still  be  Messianic,  and  find  their 
only  sufficient  fulfilment  in  Jesus  Christ.  We  shall 
consider  them  in  their  order. 


I.    THE  SERVANT  IN  WHOM  JAHVEH  IS  WELL  PLEASED. 

§  90.  Jahvcli  is  the  redeemer  of  His  servant  Israel. 
He  transforms  the  wilderness  into  a  jparadise  lefore  him, 
and  provides  for  all  his  wants.  He  raises  up  a  servant  in 
whom  He  is  well  pleased,  and  upon  whom  He  bestows 
His  Spirit.  This  servant  is  gentle  in  his  dealings  with  the 
weak,  and  meek  in  all  his  relations  to  the  world.  But  he 
will  deliver  iJie  captives,  will  become  a  covenant  for  Israel 
and  a  light  to  the  Gentiles. 

"  Behold,  I  do  make  thee  a  threshing  instrument, 
A  sharp  new  one  having  teeth  : 

Thou  wilt  thresh  the  mountains,  and  wilt  beat  them  smaU, 
And  wilt  make  the  hills  as  chaff. 

Do  thou  fan  them,*  that  the  wind  may  caiTy  them  away, 
And  the  whirlwind  may  scatter  them  ; 
And  thou  wilt  rejoice  in  Jahveh, 
Thou  wilt  glory  in  the  Holy  One  of  IsraeL 
The  poor  and  needy — 
Seeking  water  when  there  is  none, 
Whose  tongue  doth  fail  for  thirst, — 
I,  Jahveh,  will  answer  them, 
I,  the  God  of  Israel,  will  not  forsake  them. 
I  will  open  rivers  on  the  bare  heights. 
And  fountains  in  the  midst  of  the  valleys ; 
I  will  make  the  wilderness  a  pool  of  water, 
And  the  dry  land  springs  of  water. 

1  The  E.Y.  renders  the  jussive  Dpn,   "thou  shalt  fan  them," 

ignoring  the  form.  This  might  be  correct  if  we  supposed  that  at  thia 
period  of  the  exile  the  distinction  between  the  jussive  and  indicativa 
was  passing  away  ]  but  we  prefer  to  follow  the  classic  usage. 


THE  PEOPHECY  OF  THE  SERVANT  OF  JAIIVEH.        343 

I  will  plant  in  the  wilderness  the  cedar,  the  acacia  tree, 

And  the  myrtle,  and  the  oleaster  ; 

I  will  set  in  the  desert  the  fir-tree, 

The  pine  and  the  box-tree  together  ; 

That  they  may  see,  that  they  may  know, 

That  they  may  consider,  that  they  may  understand  together, 

That  the  hand  of  Jahveh  hath  done  this, 

And  the  Holy  One  of  Israel  hath  created  it." 

— Isa.  xli.  15-20. 

This  passage  retains  the  generic  reference  to  Israel  as 
a  whole.  The  redemption  is  wrought  by  Jahveh.  He 
makes  Israel  like  a  threshing  instrument,  and  all  nature 
is  transformed  under  His  blows.  This  reminds  us  of  the 
symbol  of  Micah,  where  the  daughter  of  Zion  is  compared 
with  a  bullock  with  iron  horns  and  brass  hoofs  to  thresh 
the  nations.-^  But  the  representation  soon  changes,  and 
Jahveh  Himself  is  the  actor  in  the  redemption.  The 
poor  and  needy  exiles  are  provided  by  Him  with  supplies 
for  all  their  wants.  Though  their  way  to  the  holy  land 
be  through  the  desert,  they  will  not  thirst.  Springs  will 
come  forth  for  them,  and  pools  of  water,  and  all  the 
delightful  shade  trees  will  be  in  their  path.  This  is  the 
same  transformation  of  nature  that  we  have  found  in 
Isa.  xxxv.^ 

The  conception  of  the  servant  rises  in  the  next  passage 
to  a  higher  stage. 

I.  *'  Behold  my  servant,  whom  I  uphold  ; 

My  chosen,  in  whom  my  soul  delighteth  ; 

I  have  put  my  Spirit  upon  him  ; 

He  will  bring  forth  judgment  to  the  nations. 

He  will  not  cry,  nor  lift  up. 

Nor  cause  his  voice  to  be  heard  in  the  street. 

A  broken  reed  will  he  not  break  off. 

And  the  faint  wick  will  he  not  quench : 

He  will  bring  forth  judgment  in  truth. 

1  Micah  iv.  13.  *  See  p.  318. 


344  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY, 

He  will  not  faint  nor  be  broken,^ 
Till  he  set  judgment  in  the  earth  ; 
And  the  coasts  wait  for  his  instruction. 

II.  Thus  saith  'El  Jahveh, 

He  that  created  the  heavens,  and  stretched  them  forth  ; 

He  that  spread  abroad  the  earth  and  that  which  cometh  out 

of  it; 
He  that  giveth  breath  unto  the  people  upon  it, 
And  spirit  to  them  that  walk  therein  ; 
I,  Jahveh,  have  called  thee  in  righteousness, 
In  order  to  hold  ^  thine  hand  and  to  keep  thee, 
And  to  give  thee  for  a  covenant  of  the  people,  for  a  light  of  the 

nations  ; 
To  open  the  blind  eyes, 

To  bring  out  the  prisoners  from  the  dungeon. 
And  them  that  sit  in  darkness  out  of  the  prison-house. 
I  am  Jahveh  ;  that  is  my  name  ; 
And  my  glory  will  I  not  give  to  another, 
Neither  my  praise  unto  graven  images. 
Behold,  the  former  things  are  come  to  pass, 
And  new  things  am  I  declaring  : 
Before  they  spring  forth  I  tell  you  of  them. 

Sing  unto  Jahveh  a  new  song^ 

And  his  praise  from  the  end  of  the  earth ; 

Ye  that  go  down  to  the  sea,  and  all  that  is  therein, 

The  coasts,  and  the  inhabitants  thereof. 

Let  the  wilderness  and  the  cities  thereof  lift  up  their  voice, 

The  villages  that  Kedar  doth  inhabit ; 

Let  the  inhabitants  of  Sela  sing, 

Let  them  shout  from  the  top  of  the  mountains. 

^  It  should  be  noticed  that  there  is  a  contrast  in  the  condition  of 
the  Messianic  servant  and  the  people  to  whom  he  ministers.  They 
are  like  a  broken  reed,  p>;-| ;  but  he  will  not  be  broken,  pi\  They 
are  like  the  faint,  dim,  and  expiring  wick  of  a  lamp,  nn^  ;  but  he 
will  not  faint,  nriDV 

^   ptnXV      The  jussive  form  of  the  first  person  is  unusual.     Are 

we  to  give  it  its  jussive  force  or  regard  it  as  an  evidence  that  the 
distinction  between  the  indicative  and  jussive  is  passing  out  of  use 
in  the  time  of  our  ])rophet  ?  Eeasons  may  be  given  on  both  sides 
of  this  question.  We  prefer  to  adhere  to  the  classic  usage,  and 
regai'd  the  •)  as  a  weak  Vav  expressing  purpose. 


THE  PEOPHECY  OF  THE  SEKVANT  OF  JAHVEU.        345 

Let  them  give  glory  unto  Jahveh^ 

And  declare  his  praise  in  the  coasts. 

Jahveh  will  go  forth  as  a  mighty  man  ; 

He  will  stir  up  zeal  like  a  man  of  war ; 

He  will  cry,  yea,  he  will  shout  aloud  ; 

He  will  do  mightily  against  his  enemies.^^    — Isa.  xlii.  1-13. 

Here  we  have  a  distinction  between  Israel  and  the 
servant  of  Jahveh,  for  the  servant  has  a  work  to  do 
for  Israel  as  well  as  the  nations.  To  Israel  he  is  the 
embodiment  of  the  covenant,  namely,  the  prophetic 
covenant,  the  new  covenant  that  we  have  seen  in 
Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel.^  He  is  a  light  to  the  nations 
to  enlighten  them,  to  instruct  and  to  guide  them  as  well 
as  Israel.  This  reminds  us  of  the  calling  of  Israel  to 
be  a  kingdom  of  priests.^  The  servant  is  not  a  king, 
but  a  prophet,  and  yet  he  is  a  deliverer,  for  he  rescues 
the  captives  from  their  prisons.  He  is  above  all  the 
teacher  of  the  nations.  For  this  office  he  has  been 
anointed  with  the  divine  Spirit,  as  the  Messianic  king 
was  anointed  in  the  prediction  of  Isaiah.^  He  is  a 
servant  who  is  entirely  acceptable  to  Jahveh,  and  thus 
is  distinguished  from  the  sinful  and  backsliding  people. 
He  is  gentle  and  meek  in  his  ministry.  He  has  to  deal 
with  the  weak  and  perishing.  These  are  compared  to 
broken  reeds  and  spent  wicks.  Though  they  be  broken, 
he  will  not  break  them  off.  He  will  rather  bind  them 
up.  Though  they  shine  but  dunly,  their  wicks  being 
destitute  of  oil,  he  will  not  put  out  the  lamps  that  give 
no  light.  He  will  pour  in  the  oil,  and  cause  them  to 
shine  again.  It  should  be  noted  here  as  a  hint  of  the 
work  of  the  servant  that  is  described  in  subsequent 
passages,  that  the  same  terms  are  used  of  the  servant  as 
of  the  people  whom  he  is  to  redeem,  only  there  is  a  contrast 
between  them.     They  are  broken  and  faint.     But  he  will 

1  See  pp.  247  and  272.  ^  gee  p.  101.  »  See  p.  202. 


346  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

not  be  faint,  and  will  not  be  broken.  He  will  have  success 
in  his  ministry.  There  is  no  conception  thus  far  of  a 
suffering  servant.  His  work  is  a  quiet  and  unosten- 
tatious work  of  ministry  to  the  weak  and  suffering. 
The  section  concludes  with  a  refrain  of  praise. 

Who  then  is  this  servant  ?  Most  recent  critics  think 
that  the  prophet  presents  by  personification  the  ideal 
Israel,  the  pious  nucleus  of  the  nation,  as  the  Messianic 
servant.  Dr.  A.  B.  Davidson  calls  attention  to  the  parallel 
between  the  prophet's  use  of  the  term  servant  and  Zion.-^ 
He  rightly  states,  "  The  personification  of  the  community 
as  a  mother,  is  as  old  as  Hosea ;  and  if  personified  Zion 
be  distinguished  from  their  own  members,  there  is 
nothing  strange  in  Israel  personified  being  distinguished 

^  "  The  other  essential  point  in  the  conception  of  the  servant,  his 
activity,  is  suggested  by  the  word  '  servant '  itself.  And  here  the 
prophet's  personification  of  Israel  differs  from  another  of  his  j^er- 
sonifications,  Zion  or  Jerusalem  (for  there  is  no  difference  between 
these  two,  just  as  there  is  none  between  Israel  and  Jacob).  The 
conception  of  the  servant  Israel  is  that  of  a  '  people '  in  opposition 
to  the  other  peoples  of  the  world  ;  the  idea  of  Zion  is  rather  that 
of  a  community  inhabiting  the  holy  hill  and  chosen  land  of  the 
Lord.  The  one  is,  so  to  speak,  masculine,  active,  and  entrusted 
with  a  mission  to  the  peoples  ;  the  Lord  is  the  husband  of  the  other, 
who  is  passive  and  recipient,  and  instead  of  executing  any  service 
among  the  nations  is  served  by  them — they  bring  back  her  sons  in 
their  bosom,  and  carry  home  her  daughters  ujjon  their  shoulders. 
The  personification  Israel,  though  said  to  be  '  loved  '  by  Jehovah 
(chap,  xliii.  4),  was  a  less  suitable  subject  for  pouring  out  all  the 
floods  of  Jehovah's  affection  upon  than  Jerusalem,  the  daughter  of 
Zion — a  woman  forsaken  and  gi'ieved  in  spirit,  even  a  wife  of  youth 
when  she  is  cast  off  (chap.  liv.  6).  But  the  two  personifications  are 
really  identical,  for  as  kings  bow  down  before  Zion  with  their  faces 
to  the  earth,  and  lick  the  dust  of  her  feet  (chap.  xlix.  23),  so  before 
the  servant  kings  shall  stand  up,  and  princes  shall  worship  (ver.  7, 
chap.  lii.  15)  ;  and  the  ])romise  made  to  the  servant,  that  he  should 
be  the  light  of  the  Gentiles,  is  fulfilled  in  the  restored  Zion,  to  whose 
light  the  Gentiles  come  (chap.  Ix.).  And,  what  is  not  unworthy  of 
attention,  especially  by  those  who  find  difficulty  in  conceiving  how 
the  servant  Israel  could  be  called  '  a  covenant  of  the  people,'  Zion 
personified,  i.e.  the  community,  inhabitress  of  Zion,  is  distinguished 
from  the  individual  members  of  the  community,  her  sons  and 
daughters." — A.  B.  Davidson,  Expository  Nov.  1884,  pp.  356-57. 


THE  PEOPHECY  OF  THE  SERVANT  OF  JAHVEH.         347 

from  Israelites,  from  the  fragments  of  Israel  scattered 
in  every  land — the  tribes  of  Jacob  and  the  preserved 
of  Israel."  ^  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  these  concep- 
tions are  parallel,  as  mdeed  they  represent  two  stages 
in  the  composition  of  the  prophecy ;  and  there  is  much 
in  favour  of  this  interpretation.  And  it  makes  very 
little  difference,  so  far  as  the  reference  of  these  passages 
to  Jesus  Christ  is  concerned,  whether  he  be  the  realiza- 
tion of  this  ideal  Israel,  as  he  is  of  the  ideal  man  of 
Ps.  viii.,^  or  whether  he  be  predicted  in  the  form  of  an 
individual  prophet.  Delitzsch  uses  the  figure  of  the 
pyramid  to  describe  the  use  of  the  term  servant  in  this 
prophecy.  "The  conception  of  the  servant  of  Jehovah 
is,  as  it  were,  a  pyramid,  of  which  the  base  is  the  people 
of  Israel  as  a  whole,  the  central  part  Israel  '  according 
to  the  spirit,'  and  the  summit  the  person  of  the  mediator 
of  salvation  who  arises  out  of  Israel."  ^  To  this  Oehler  * 
and  Cheyne  ^  agree.  It  is  true  there  is  a  difficulty  in 
rising  from  the  base  to  the  apex,  and  then  descending 
again  to  the  base,  or  in  rising  or  descending  half  way ; 
but  there  is  a  difficulty  in  any  case,  for  we  have  the 
distinction,  whether  we  define  that  distinction  as  a  per- 
sonification or  a  person,  and  there  is  a  rising  and  falHng 
from  the  one  to  the  other.  The  diff'erence  is  simply 
whether  the  ascent  be  in  two  grades  or  in  three. 

We  are  now  at  a  late  period  in  the  development  of 
the  Messianic  idea.  We  have  seen  the  term  seed  in  its 
development  from  the  whole  human  race,  through  the 
seed  of  Abraham,  to  the  seed  of  David  and  a  personal 
Messiah.^     We  have  seen  the  term  son  first  apphed  to 

^  A.  B.  Davidson,  Expositor,  Nov.  1884,  p.  358. 
«  See  p.  147. 

*  Delitzsch,  Isaiah,  ii.  p.  174. 

*  G.  F.  Oehler,  Old  Testame^it  Theology,  ii.  pp.  399-400. 

*  Cheyne,  Prophecies  of  Israel,  ii.  p.  264,  3rd  ed.  1884. 
«  See  pp.  71,  83,  126,  202,  244. 


348  MESSIANIC  PKOPHECY. 

Israel  as  a  nation,  then  to  the  dynasty  of  David,  and 
then  at  last  to  the  Messianic  king.^  The  great  unknown 
uses  the  term  servant  for  Israel  as  a  whole.  He  was 
only  following  the  analogy  of  the  terms  seed  and  son, 
if  he  unfolded  the  term  servant  in  the  same  way  until 
he  reached  the  conception  of  a  great  prophet  who  would 
for  the  first  realize  the  ideal  of  the  faithful  servant. 
"With  Moses  and  Da\dd  and  Jeremiah  in  his  mind,  all  of 
whom  bore  the  title  servant  of  Jahveh,  he  could  not 
find  it  difficult  to  conceive  of  a  Messianic  servant  greater 
than  they.  It  is  difiicult  to  distinguish  a  personification 
from  a  person.  Zion  as  the  mother  is  an  easy  personifi- 
cation, and  the  usage  of  prophecy  is  so  plain  that  there 
can  be  no  mistake.  But  we  have  no  such  usage  to 
guide  us  with  reference  to  the  term  servant.  Usage  is 
aU  the  other  way.  The  application  of  the  term  servant 
to  Moses  and  David  and  other  prophets,  would  lead  the 
prophet  and  his  readers  to  understand  by  servant  a  prophet 
like  them. 


n.   JAHVEH  DELIVERS  HIS  SERVANT  ISRAEL. 

§  91.  Jalmeh  will  gather  His  servant  Israel  from  all 
lands  of  their  exile.  He  will  Mot  out  all  his  sins,  will 
cause  him  to  pass  through  fire  and  water  unharmed,  will 
make  for  him  a  highway  in  the  wilderness,  and  transform 
it  into  a  garden.  He  ivill  pour  out  His  Spirit  upon  their 
seed,  and  they  will  become  fncitful.  The  name  of  Jacob 
will  be  assumed  ccs  a  title  of  Jwnour. 

In  the  previous  section  of  the  original  prophecy  the 

servant  was  at  first  Israel  as  a  whole,  and  then  in  the 

conclusion  a  ministering  servant  was  distinguished  from 

Israel     In  this  the  second  section  of  the  prophecy  the 

1  See  pp.  100,  126,  135,  198. 


THE  PROPHECY  OF  THE  SERVANT  OF  JAHVEH.        349 

I 

prediction   deals   with   Israel   as   a   nation.      There  are  ^ 

several  pieces  in  which  the  redemption  of  the  servant  is  | 

presented  in  varied  forms. 

i 

"  And  now  thus  saith  Jahveh, 
Thy  creator,  O  Jacob,  and  thy  former,  0  Israel : 
Fear  not,  for  I  do  redeem  thee  ; 

I  have  called  thee  by  thy  name,  thou  art  mine.  ' 

When  thou  passest  through  waters  I  will  be  with  thee ;  ' 

And  in  the  rivers,  they  will  not  overflow  thee  :  ; 

When  thou  goest  in  the  fire  thou  wilt  not  be  burned, 
And  the  flame  will  not  consume  thee.  | 

For  I,  Jahveh,  am  thy  God,  ^ 

The  Holy  One  of  Israel  is  thy  Saviour  ;  ■ 

I  have  given  Egypt  as  thy  ransom,  , 

Cush  and  Seba  in  thy  stead.  , 

Since  thou  art  precious  in  mine  eyes ;  | 

Thou  art  honoured,  and  I  love  thee ;  \ 

And  I  will  give  mankind  in  thy  stead, 
And  peoples  instead  of  thy  life. 
Fear  not,  for  I  am  with  thee  : 
From  the  sun-rising  I  will  bring  thy  seed, 
And  from  the  sun-setting  I  will  gather  thee : 
I  will  say  to  the  North,  give  up  ; 
And  to  the  South,  withhold  not : 
Bring  my  sons  from  afar, 
And  my  daughters  from  the  ends  of  earth  ; 

All  who  are  called  by  my  name,  ■ 

Whom  I  have  created  for  my  glory,  i 

Whom  I  have  formed,  yea,  have  made."         — Isa.  xliii.  1-7.  ; 

This  piece  predicts  the  redemption  of  Israel  from  all  j 

lands  of  their  dispersion,  in  accordance  with  many  pre-  i 

vious  prophecies.     But  it  gives  two  new  features.     The  j 

one  indicates  a  miraculous  preservation  in  the  midst  of  j 

all  perils,  whether  these   were  of  fire   or   water.     The  ] 

people  might  be  called  to  pass  through  waters,  but  these  j 

would  not  overwhehn  them.     They  might  be  constrained  ^ 

to  pass  through  the  midst  of  the  fire,  but  they  would  not  ! 
be  burned.     The   faithful  care   of  Jahveh  will  deliver 


350  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

them  from  all  evil,  and  bring  them  safely  to  their  own 
land.  The  rivers  are  here  not  dried  up  as  in  the  predic- 
tion of  Isa.  xi./  but  they  are  passed  over  in  safety.  This 
reminds  us  of  the  Sea  Trouble  of  the  earlier  Zechariah.^ 
The  passing  through  the  fire  is  not  viewed  as  a  divine 
chastisement  as  in  Isa.  iv. ;  ^  but  the  fire  indicates  perils 
on  the  journey  to  the  holy  land.  It  is  parallel  with  the 
rivers  and  the  wilderness.*  The  other  important  feature 
is  seen  in  the  use  of  the  other  nations  as  the  ransom 
price  of  Israel  Israel  is  to  be  redeemed  from  bondage.  The 
other  nations  will  be  given  to  the  conqueror  of  Babylon 
to  satisfy  him,  and  induce  him  to  restore  Israel  to  his  land. 
The  second  Messianic  prediction  in  this  section  is 
similar  to  the  first. 

**  Thus  saith  Jahveh — 
He  who  giveth  a  way  in  the  sea, 
And  in  the  strong  waters  a  path  ; 

He  who  leadeth  forth  chariot  and  horse,  army  and  force, 
Together  they  lie  down,  they  will  not  rise  up. 
They  are  extinguished,  as  a  wick  they  are  quenched  ; 
The  former  things  remember  not, 
And  things  of  old  do  not  consider. 
Behold,  I  am  about  to  do  a  new  thing. 
Now  it  will  sprout  forth,  will  ye  not  know  it? 
Yea,  I  will  make  a  way  in  the  wilderness. 
In  the  desert  rivers. 

The  wild  animals  of  the  field  will  glorify  me. 
The  jackals  and  the  ostriches  ; 
For  I  do  give  waters  in  the  wilderness. 
Rivers  in  the  desert, 
To  give  drink  to  my  people,  my  chosen  : 
The  people  which  I  formed  for  myself, 
That  they  might  declare  my  praise."  — Isa.  xliii.  1 6-21. 

The  returning  exiles  are  to  pass  through  the  sea  and 
strong  watei-s  in  safety.    Their  enemies  wiU  be  destroyed, 

1  See  p.  204.  2  gge  p.  185. 

'  See  p.  193.  *  Comp.  Isaiah  xli.  18. 


THE  PKOPHECY  OF  THE  SERVANT  OF  JAHVEH.        351 

as  were  the  chariots  and  forces  of  Pharaoh  at  the 
crossing  of  the  Eed  Sea.  They  will  pass  through  the 
wilderness,  and  rivers  will  burst  forth  to  give  them 
refreshment.^ 

The  third  prediction  is  more  important. 

"And  now  hear,  Jacob,  my  servant ; 
And  Israel  whom  I  have  chosen  : 
Thus  saith  Jahveh,  thy  maker. 

And  thy  framer  from  the  womb,  who  will  help  thee. 
Fear  not,  my  servant  Jacob ; 
And  Jeshurun  whom  I  have  chosen. 
For  I  will  pour  water  upon  the  thirsty  land 
And  streams  upon  the  dry  ground: 
I  will  pour  my  Spirit  upon  thy  seed, 
And  my  blessing  upon  thine  offspring  : 
And  they  will  sprout  forth  between  the  waters  as  grass,* 
As  poplars  by  the  water-courses. 
This  one  will  say  I  am  Jahveh's  ; 
And  this  will  name  with  the  name  of  Jacob ; 
And  this  will  subscribe  with  his  hand  unto  Jahveh, 
And  use  the  name  of  Israel  as  a  title."  — Isa.  xliv.  1-5. 

This  passage  renews  the  familiar  promise  of  the  trans- 
formation of  the  desert  into  a  garden,  but  associates  with 
it  the  outpouring  of  the  divine  Spirit  upon  the  seed  of 
Israel.  In  the  previous  section  the  Messianic  servant,  who 
ministered  to  Israel  and  the  nations,  received  the  gift  of 
the  divine  Spirit ;  ^  but  here  the  divine  Spirit  comes  upon 
Israel  as  a  whole.  This  is  then  in  accordance  with  the 
predictions  of  Joel  and  EzekieL*  The  result  of  this  gift 
of  the  Spirit  is  great  fruitf ulness  and  great  honour.     The 

1  This  is  in  accordance  with  the  representations  of  Isa.  xxxv.  and 
xli.  14-20.     See  pp.  318  and  342.  _       .  r    ^-     i 

2  ni  of  the  Massoretic  text  is  a  compound  preposition  defectively- 
written  for  |U3,  and  is  rendered  by  the  R.V.  "among  the  gi^ass," 
after  most  interpreters.  But  the  LXX.  inserts  n^D,  and  this  is 
rightly  followed  by  Lowth,  Ewald,  and  Cheyne  as  more  suited  to 
the  parallelism.  n  ^^^ 

'  See  p.  343.  *  See  pp.  154  and  283. 


352  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

other  nations  will  come  and  attach  themselves  to  Jacob 
and  claim  a  share  in  his  honourable  titles.  This  is  in 
accordance  with  the  prediction  of  Isa.  xix.,  that  Egypt 
and  Assyria  would  assume  the  titles  of  Israel/  and  recalls 
the  adoption  of  the  nations  in  Zion  of  Ps.  Ixxxvii.^  It  is 
evident  that  our  prophet  here  conceives  that  Israel  is  the 
ministering  servant  of  Jahveh  to  the  nations,  as  in  the 
previous  section  he  conceived  of  a  Messianic  servant 
who  had  a  ministry  to  do  for  Israel  as  well  as  the 
nations. 

Tliis  section  closes  with  a  brief  prediction  of  redemp- 
tion from  sin  and  the  hymn  of  refrain. 

"  Eemember  these  things,  0  Jacob 
And  Israel,  for  thou  art  my  servant : 
I  formed  thee,  thou  art  a  servant  to  me  ; 

0  Israel,  thou  wilt  not  be  forgotten  of  me  ! 

1  have  blotted  out  as  a  thick  cloud  thy  transgressions, 
And  as  clouds  thy  sins  ; 

Oh,  turn  unto  me,  for  I  do  redeem  thee. 

Sing  J  oh  heavens, 

For  Jahveh  hath  done  it. 

Shout,  ye  lower  parts  of  the  earth  ; 

Break  forth  into  singing,  ye  mountains^ 

Oh  forest,  and  everything  therein  ; 

For  Jahveh  hath  redeemed  Jacob, 

And  in  Israel  mil  He  beautify  Himself." 

III.    THE  HIGH  CALLING  OF  THE  SERVANT. 

§  92.  The  servant  of  Jahveh  is  called  from  the  womb  to 
raise  up  the  tribes  of  Jacob.  At  first  lie  will  be  concealed 
in  a  condition  of  humiliation,  but  at  last  he  will  he 
honoured  by  kings  and  princes.  He  will  restore  Israel  to 
his  inheritance,  and  become  the  light  and  salvation  of  the 
nations.  The  exiles  will  come  up  from  the  most  distant 
1  See  p.  206.  ^  gg^  p.  226. 


THE  PROPHECY  OF  THE  SERVANT  OF  JAHVEH.         353 

parts.  Jahveh  Himself  will  conduct  them.  They  will  no 
more  suffer  from  hwiger,  or  thirst,  or  heat,  for  nature  will 
he  transformed  for  them  into  a  highway  of  redemjption, 

I.  "  Listen,  oh  coasts,  unto  me  ; 

And  hearken,  ye  peoples,  from  far  : 

Jahveh  hath  called  me  from  the  womb  ; 

From  the  bowels  of  my  mother  hath  he  made  mention  of  my 

name  : 
And  he  hath  made  my  mouth  like  a  sharp  sword, 
In  the  shadow  of  his  hand  hath  he  hid  me  ; 
And  he  hath  made  me  a  sharp  arrow, 
In  his  quiver  hath  he  concealed  me. 
And  he  said  unto  me,  '  Thou  art  my  servant 
Israel,  in  whom  I  will  beautify  myself.' 

II.  But  I  said,  I  have  laboured  in  vain, 

I  have  spent  my  strength  for  waste  and  vanity : 

Yet  surely  my  judgment  is  with  Jahveh, 

And  my  recompense  with  my  God. 

And  now  saith  Jahveh, 

That  formed  me  from  the  womb  to  be  his  servant. 

To  bring  Jacob  again  to  him. 

In  that  Israel  is  not  assembled  ; 

That  I  may  be  glorified  in  the  eyes  of  Jahveh 

In  that  my  God  is  my  strength.^ 

And  he  said,  '  It  is  too  light  a  thing  that  thou  shouldest  be 

my  servant 
To  raise  up  the  tribes  of  Jacob, 
And  to  restore  the  preserved  of  Israel : 
I  will  therefore  give  thee  for  a  light  to  the  nations, 
To  become  my  salvation  unto  the  end  of  the  earth.' 

1  The  Kethibh  ^^  is  the  more  difficult  reading.  It  is  given  also  in 
the  Vulgate  and  by  Symmachus,  and  is  followed  by  Henderson, 
Hitzig,  Hengstenberg,  and  others.  The  Qeri  is  more  suited  to  the 
previous  line,  and  is  the  rendering  of  Aquila,  the  Targum,  R.V. 
and  most  interpreters.  But  this  line  is  part  of  a  hexastich,  in  which 
the  third  and  fifth  lines  are  parallel  in  construction.  The  structure 
of  the  fourth  and  sixth  lines  is  also  parallel.  In  both  of  them  the 
subject  precedes  its  verb.  This  indicates  that  they  are  circumstantial 
clauses.  From  this  point  of  view  the  Kethibh  is  more  suited  to  the 
context,  and  being  the  more  difficult  reading,  and  having  the  best 
external  authority,  is  to  be  preferred. 


354  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

III.  Thus  saith  Jahveh, 

The  redeemer  of  Israel  and  his  Holy  One. 

To  one  despised  of  person,^  to  the  abhorred  of  the  nation,  to 

the  servant  of  rulers  : 
'  Kings  will  see  and  arise, 
And  princes,  verily  they  will  do  homage, 
Because  of  Jahveh  that  is  faithful, 
The  Holy  One  of  Israel,  and  he  hath  chosen  thee.' 
Thus  saith  Jahveh, 

'  In  an  acceptable  time  have  I  answered  thee, 
And  in  a  day  of  salvation  have  I  helped  thee  : 
And  I  will  preserve  thee,  and  give  thee  for  a  covenant  of  the 

people 
To  raise  up  the  land, 

To  make  them  inherit  the  desolate  heritages ; 
Saying  to  them  that  are  bound,  "  Go  forth  ; " 
To  them  that  are  in  darkness,  "  Show  yourselvea."' 

lY.  They  will  feed  in  the  ways. 

And  on  all  bare  heights  will  be  their  pasture. 

They  will  not  hunger  nor  thirst ; 

Neither  will  the  mirage  ^  nor  sun  smite  them  : 

For  he  that  hath  mercy  on  them  will  lead  them, 

Even  unto  springs  of  water  will  he  guide  them. 

And  I  will  make  all  my  mountains  a  way, 

And  my  highways  will  be  exalted. 

Lo,  these  will  come  from  far : 

And,  lo,  these  from  the  north  and  from  the  west ; 

And  these  from  the  land  of  Sinim.^ 

Sing,  oh  heavens ;  and  he  joyful^  oh  earth ; 
And  break  forth  into  singing,  ye  mountains  ; 
For  Jahveh  hath  comforted  his  people, 
And  will  have  compassion  upon  his  afflicted^ 


^  tJ^D3  nT3  is  variously  explained.  1»>D3  is  taken  by  the  A.Y.  and 
E.Y.,  Gesenius,  Hengstenberg,  and  others  as  a  collective,  "  persons," 
"  whom  man  despiseth."  Ewald,  Knobel,  Cheyne  take  the  C'QJ  as 
the  seat  of  the  feeling,  "  despised  in  soul" — "  heartily  despised."  It 
is  better  to  follow  the  LXX.  and  Yulgate,  Hitzigand  Delitzsch,  and 
think  of  the  t^>SJ  as  the  object  of  the  feeling,  "  of  contemptible  soul," 
or  despised  in  pei^son.     See  Ps.  xxii.  7,  UV  ^1D-    See  p.  323. 

^  :r\\^,  see  Isa.  xxxv.  7,  p.  318. 

*  D''J"'D  pi<.  This  land  must  from  the  context  be  a  distant  one. 
China  is  the  most  probable  reference,  but  this  is  not  altogether  certain. 


THE  PROPHECY  OF  THE  SERVANT  OF  JAHVEH.        355 

This  section  is  an  advance  upon  the  conception  of  the 
servant  of  the  previous  section.  There,  he  was  endowed 
with  the  divine  Spirit ;  ^  here,  he  is  called  from  the  womb, 
and  assigned  his  ministry  prior  to  birth.  There,  he  was 
made  a  sharp  threshing  instrument ;  here,  his  mouth  is 
made  like  a  sharp  sword  ^  hidden  in  the  hand  of  Jahveh, 
and  a  sharp  arrow  concealed  in  His  quiver.  This 
reminds  us  of  the  representation  of  the  fruitful  shoot  of 
David's  line,  whose  mouth  was  a  sceptre,  and  the  breath 
of  whose  lips  would  slay  the  wicked.^  He  has  the  same 
ministry  here  as  there  both  to  Israel  and  the  nations,* 
but  the  ministry  to  the  nations  is  emphasized.  It  was 
too  light  a  thing  for  this  servant  to  restore  Israel — he 
has  a  much  greater  work  assigned  him,  to  become  the 
light  and  salvation  of  the  nations  even  to  the  ends  of  the 
earth. . 

A  new  feature  of  this  servant  appears  in  this  section. 
He  is  represented  in  a  state  of  humiliation.  He  is 
despised  in  person,  he  is  abhorred  of  the  nation,  he  is  a 
servant  of  rulers.  He  is  in  bondage  to  the  heathen 
rulers.  He  is  an  abhorrence  to  the  nation.  He  is  in  his 
own  person  one  to  be  despised.  This  corresponds  with 
the  representation  that  he  was  concealed  in  the  hand  and 
quiver  of  Jahveh.  His  condition  of  humiliation  veiled 
the  glorious  destiny  that  was  in  him.  And  yet  this 
servant  of  rulers  is  to  display  his  glory.  The  sword  wiU 
flash,  and  the  arrow  will  reach  its  mark.  Kings  will  see 
the  flashing  of  that  sword ;  they  will  rise  in  honour  of 
him  who  had  been  abhorred  by  the  people.  Princes 
will  prostrate  themselves,  and  do  homage  to  him  whose 
person  had  once  been  despised.  He  will  be  the  hght  and 
salvation  of  all  nations.  He  will  restore  Israel,  and  they 
will  come  from  the  most  distant  parts  and  take  part  in 

*  Isa.  xlii.  1.     See  p.  343.  «  Isa.  xli.  15.     See  p.  342. 

«  Isa.  xi  4.     See  p.  203.  *  Isa.  xlii.  6.    See  p.  344. 


356  MESSIANIC  PKOPHECY. 

this  day  of  redemption.  Nature  will  transform  itself 
before  them,  and  they  will  no  more  suffer  hunger  or 
thirst  or  the  scorching  of  the  sun/ 

The  servant  is  here  distinguished  from  Israel,  and  the 
same  question  arises  here  as  in  the  previous  section, 
whether  we  are  to  think  of  a  prophet  or  of  ideal  Israel 
It  seems  to  us  that  it  is  most  natural  to  think  of  a 
Messianic  prophet  who  was  called  from  the  womb  like 
Jeremiah  to  be  the  teacher  and  saviour.^  This  prophet 
is  the  second  Jacob,  as  the  Messiah  is  elsewhere  the 
second  Adam,  the  second  Moses,  and  the  second  David. 
Each  of  these  persons  becomes  in  turn  the  type  of  the 
Messiah.^ 


IV.    THE  SIN-BEAEING  SEEVANT, 

§  93.  The  servant  of  Jahveh  is  a  sufferer,  unattractive 
inform,  despised  and  rejected,  a  man  of  sorrows,  and  an 
outcast.  He  is  innocent  as  a  lamh,  and  yet  is  pierced, 
scourged,  aiul  crushed  for  his  people.  Jahveh  lays  upon 
him  as  a  trespass-offering  the  iniquities  of  all.  He  suffers 
as  a  suhstitute,  and  then  is  highly  exalted  and  rewarded 
with  spoils  of  victory,  a  prosperous  ministry,  and  great 
honour. 


1  Isa.  iv.  6,  XXXV.  7.     See  p.  193.  ^  Jer.  i.  5. 

^  Another  picture  of  a  sufferer  is  given  in  Isa.  1.  4-11.  This  is  a 
piece  that  stands  by  itself.  It  is  composed  of  two  strophes  of 
ten  pentameter  lines  each.  It  resembles  Ps.  xl.  even  more  than 
the  passages  relating  to  the  servant  in  the  great  unknown.  There 
is  nothing  in  this  piece  that  indicates  that  it  is  Messianic.  The 
sufferings  are  not  extraordinary.  The  work  of  this  prophet  is  no 
more  than  any  prophet  of  the  time  might  be  expected  to  do. 
No  one  would  have  thought  it  Messianic  were  it  not  for  its  posi- 
tion between  chaps,  xlix.  and  liii.  I  agree  with  Knobel  and  othera 
in  the  opinion  that  the  pro]3het  is  here  giving  his  own  exj)erience. 
It  belongs  to  the  second  edition  of  the  prophecy,  as  it  is  pentameter 
in  rhythm. 


THE  PROPHECY  OF  THE  SERVANT  OF  JAHVEH.        357 

I.  "  Behold,  my  servant  will  prosper,^ 

He  will  be  lifted  up  and  be  exalted  and  be  very  high. 

According  as  many  were  astonished  at  thee — 

So  disfigured  more  than  man  was  his  appearance, 

And  his  form  than  the  sons  of  men  ; 

So  will  he  startle  ^  many  nations  ; 

Because  of  him  kings  will  stop  their  mouths ; 

For  what  had  not  been  told  them  they  will  see,* 

And  what  they  had  not  heard  they  will  attentively  consider. 

II.  Who  believed  our  report. 

And  the  arm  of  Jahveh,  unto  whom  was  it  revealed  ? 

When  ■*  he  grew  up  as  a  suckling  plant  before  him, 

And  as  a  root  out  of  a  dry  ground  ; 

He  had  no  form  and  no  majesty  that  we  should  see  him, 

And  no  appearance  that  we  should  take  pleasure  in  him ; 

Despised,  and  forsaken  of  men,^ 

A  man  of  sorrows,  and  acquainted  with  grief,^ 

1  ^'•:3tJ'"'  may  mean  either  "  deal  wisely,"  as  the  R. V.,  Cheyne, 
Delitzsch,  Orelli,  or  "  prosper,"  as  the  margin  of  the  R. V.  after  the 
Targum,  Lowth,  Gesenius,  Hitzig,  Ewald,  Knobel  and  Rod  well. 

2  n-f   is  the  Hiph.  imperf.  of   ntJ  =  leap  for  joy,  exult.      The 

Hiphil  means  either  to  cause  to  leap  for  joy,  to  rejoice,  or  sprinkle 
with  water,  blood,  or  oil.  The  LXX.  renders  &xv[/.a,novroe,i.  The 
Peshitto  and  Vulgate  render  "sprinkle,"  and  are  followed  by 
Luther,  A.V.,  R.V.,  Hengstenberg  and  most  interpreters.  Bat 
this  rendering  does  not  suit  the  context.  It  is  not  in  accordance 
with  the  parallelism,  and  is  alien  to  the  thought  of  the  entire  piece, 
which  does  not  touch  upon  the  work  of  the  priest  or  of  purification, 
but  deals  with  the  sufiferer  as  a  victim  and  an  offering  for  the  re- 
demption of  his  people.  Furthermore,  usage  requires  the  preposition 
hv  or  ^s,  with  the  meaning  to  sprinkle.  Hence  it  is  better  to  fall 
back,  with  Ewald,  Delitzsch,  Nagelsbach,  Hitzig,  Knobel,  Rodwell, 
Orelli,  upon  the  original  meaning,  to  spring  or  leap,  and  render 
"cause  to  leap  in  wonder"  or  "startle."  This  is  nearer  the  LXX., 
and  is  in  accordance  with  the  other  gestures  of  wonder  in  the 
context.  Cheyne  does  not  decide,  and  Lowth  retained  sprinkled, 
but  doubted  its  correctness. 

^  See  Isa.  xlix.  7. 

*  ^yi  is  the  protasis  of  a  temporal  clause.  It  is  improper  to 
render  1  consec.  as  causal  with  the  R.V.  We  might,  with  Ewald, 
Delitzsch,  Knobel,  and  others,  render  it  as  an  independent  clause. 

^  See  Isa.  xlix.  7  and  Ps.  xxii.  7.     See  pp.  323  and  354. 

«  Compare  Ps.  Ixix.  21      See  p.  330. 


358  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

And  as  one  before  whom  there  is  a  hiding  of  the  face,' 

Despised,  and  we  regarded  him  not  I 

III.  Verily  our  griefs  he  bore, 

And  our  sorrows  he  carried  them. 

But  we  regarded  him  as  stricken, 

Smitten  of  God,  and  humbled. 

But  he  was  one  pierced  because  of  our  transgi^essions, 

Crushed  because  of  our  iniquities ; 

The  chastisement  for  our  peace  was  upon  him  ; 

And  by  his  stripes  there  is  healing  for  us. 

We  all  like  sheep  strayed  away  ; 

Each  one  turned  to  his  own  way, 

While  Jahveh  caused  to  light  on  him  the  iniquity  of  us  all.^ 

IV.  He  was  harassed  while  he  was  humbling  himself, 
And  he  opens  not  his  mouth  ; 

Like  a  sheep  that  is  being  led  to  the  slaughter, 

And  as  an  ewe  that  before  her  shearers  is  dumb, 

And  he  opens  not  his  mouth.^ 

From  oppression  and  from  judgment  he  was  taken  away, 

And  among  his  contemporaries  ■*  who  was  considering, 

That  he  was  cut  off  from  the  land  of  the  living. 

Because  of  the  transgression  of  my  people  he  had  the  blow  ?  * 

^  iriDD  is  taken  by  Lowth,  Hengstenberg  and  others,  after  the 

LXX.  and  Vulgate,  as  an  unusual  form  of  the  part.  Hiph.  of  nriD, 
and  rendered  "  as  one  covering  his  face  from  us "  in  shame.  The 
Messiah  is  here  conceived  as  a  leper,  an  outcast  from  the  congrega- 
tion. The  pointing  might  be  changed  to  get  this  meaning.  But  it 
is  better,  with  Ewald,  Knobel,  Delitzsch,  Cheyne,  R. V.,  to  take  it  as 
a  noun  formed  by  d  and  render  "  a  covering  of  the  face  before 
him,"  as  one  so  disfigured  that  one  could  not  look  upon  him. 

^  13?^  both  at  the  beginning  and  close  of  the  verse  is  exceedingly 
emphatic.  It  indicates  that  all,  including  the  author,  are  strayed 
sheep,  and  that  this  sufferer  is  the  representative  and  substitute 
for  all. 

^  VD  nriQ''  ^?71  is  repeated  for  emphasis. 

*  )'\)'l  ns  is  an  adverbial  accusative.  The  object  of  the  verb 
nnVC  is  found  in  the  clause  with  ''3,  as  Ewald,  Delitzsch,  Cheyne 
and  R.V.  The  older  view,  that  "nH  JIN  is  the  object  of  the  verb, 
maintained  by  Hengstenberg  and  given  in  the  A.V.,  has  little  to 
sujiport  it. 

'^  IdSj  yjJ.    The  rendering  depends  upon  the  interpretation  of  the 


THE  PEOPHECY  OF  THE  SERVANT  OF  JAHVEH.        359 

"With  the  wicked  his  grave  was  assigned, 
And  with  the  rich  ^  in  his  martyr  deatli ;  ^ 
Although  he  had  done  no  violence, 
And  there  was  no  deceit  in  his  mouth. 

V.  But  Jahveh  was  pleased  to  crush  him  with  grief  !  • 
When  he  himself  offers  a  trespass-offering,* 
He  will  see  a  seed,  he  will  prolong  days  ; 
And  the  pleasure  of  Jahveh  will  jjrosper  in  his  handa ; 
On  account  of  his  own  ^  travail  he  will  see  ; 
He  will  be  satisfied  with  his  knowledge  ;  * 

suffix.  It  may  be  either  singular  or  plural.  It  is  taken  as  plural 
by  the  Targum,  Gesenius,  Ewald  and  others.  It  may  then  be 
rendered  either,  the  blow  came  upon  them,  or  the  blow  due  to  them, 
or  the  blow  for  them.  But  it  is  better,  with  R.  V.,  Delitzsch,  Knobel, 
Cheyne,  Rodwell  and  Orelli,  to  take  it  as  singular. 

^  "^^t^^3;  is  a  collective,  rich  men.  This  is  taken  by  Knobel,  Orelli, 
et  al.,  in  a  bad  sense,  parallel  with  D"'y^n.  Ewald  would  read  p''^]}, 
and  is  followed  by  Kodwell.  Cheyne  does  not  decide  between  these 
two  views. 

^  ITlDIZ-  The  plural  is  the  emphatic  plural,  violent  death  or 
martyr  death.  See  Ezek.  xxviii.  10.  There  is  no  sufficient  reason 
for  reading  it  as  a  singular,  with  Cheyne.  Lo wth,  Gesenius,  Bottcher, 
Ewald,  Orelli,  Rodwell  derive  it  from  nD3,  high  place,  and  think  of 
the  tomb  or  mound  on  the  high  place.  This  is  a  possible  rendering, 
and  is  strongly  supported,  but  is  not  sufficiently  plausible  to  induce 
us  to  leave  the  easiest  meaning  which  is  appropriate  to  the  context. 
The  plural  of  sepulchral  mound  is  urged  by  Knobel  as  an  evidence 
that  the  servant  is  collective. 

^  ">7nn  is  taken  by  Gesen.,  Knobel  and  others  as  a  Syriac  form 
for  nbnn,  and  rendered  as  a  verb  ;  so  R.V.,  "he  hath  put  him  to 
grief."  But  it  is  better,  with  Hitzig,  Ewald,  Bottcher  and  others, 
to  take  it  as  a  noun  with  the  article  and  change  the  pointing.  It 
is  an  accusative  of  closer  definition. 

*  D''^n  DS  is  a  conditional  or  temporal  clause.  It  is  not  the 
2nd  pers.  referring  to  Jahveh,  as  R.V.,  for  a  sacrifice  was  not  made 
by  God,  but  by  the  offerer,  and  it  was  accepted  by  God.  It  is  the 
third  fem.  with  it*>Q3  as  the  subject  (so  the  margin  of  R.V.),  only 
tJ^S3  here  is  reflexive,  the  person  himself.  The  O^i^  is  the  trespass- 
offering  or  guilt-offering  of  the  priest  code,  which  is  distinguished 
from  the  other  offerings  by  the  stress  that  it  puts  upon  satisfaction 
and  compensation.  The  R.V.  follows  the  A.V.  in  rendering  sin- 
offering.  But  this  is  nt^Drij  and  has  a  different  signification  that  is 
not  suited  to  the  context. 

^  1^*23  is  reflexive,  "  himself,"  and  not  "  his  soul,"  as  R.V, 

*  "inynQ  is  attached  by  the   Massoretes  to  the  following  clause, 


360  MESSIANIC  PKOPHECY. 

My  righteous  servant  will  justify  many, 

And  their  iniquities  he  will  carry. 

Therefore  will  I  give  to  him  a  portion  among  the  great ; 

And  with  the  strong  will  he  divide  spoil, 

Because  he  exposed  himself  to  death, 

And  he  was  numbered  with  transgressors, 

And  he  did  bear  the  sin  of  many  ; 

And  for  transgressors  interposes."  ^ 

This  piece  begins  the  fourth  section  of  the  original 
prophecy,  and  the  conception  of  the  Messianic  servant 
rises  to  a  greater  height.  In  the  first  section  the  gentle- 
ness and  meekness  of  the  servant  was  emphasized,  and  it 
was  predicted  that  he  would  not  faint  or  be  broken 
until  he  had  accomplished  his  work.  In  the  second 
section  the  prediction  did  not  rise  above  Israel  as  a 
whole.  In  the  third  section  the  servant  was  represented 
as  concealed  for  a  season  in  a  state  of  humiliation,  and 
then  subsequently  brought  forth  by  Jahveh  to  accom- 
plish His  work  of  redemption.  Here  these  two  con- 
ditions are  more  strongly  contrasted,  and  the  stress  is 
laid  upon  the  sufferings  of  the  servant  as  the  means  of 
redemption.  There  is  here  an  advance  upon  the  con- 
ception  of   the   suffering  Messiah   of  the  Psalter,  whose 

and  regarded  as  in  emphatic  position  ;  so  most  interpreters.  But 
this  makes  both  hues  too  long  for  the  rh}i;hmical  movement  of  the 
piece.  It  is  then  difficult  to  explain  the  knowledge  as  the  instru- 
ment of  justification ;  some  think  that  the  sulfix  is  objective, 
"knowing  of  him;"  others,  as  R.7.,  take  it  as  subjective,  "his 
knowledge."     It  is  better  to  connect  it  with  ysc*^. 

^  V'JS"'.  This  verb  has  akeady  been  used  in  ver.  5,  It  must 
have  a  similar  meaning  here.  There  "Jahveh  caused  to  hght  upon 
him  the  iniquity  of  us  all."  Here  the  context  suggests  the  same 
thought.  He  is  numbered  with  "transgressors,"  He  bears  the  sin  of 
many.  It  is  best  therefore  to  render  interpose,  or  mediate,  or  act  as 
a  substitute — for  the  sin-bearing,  and  the  suffering  from  divine 
infliction,  are  the  essential  features  of  his  work.  The  rendering  of 
the  R.V.,  "made  intercession,"  changes  the  tense,  and  suggests  the 
doctrine  of  the  priestly  intercession  of  Christ,  which  is  contrary  to 
the  theme  of  the  entire  piece,  which  sets  forth  the  victim  and  not 
the  priest. 


THE  PROPHECY  OF  THE  SERVANT  OF  JAHVEH.         361 

sufferings  were  indeed  of  world-wide  significance,  but 
were  not  represented  as  the  means  of  redemption.  Here 
the  servant  is  a  sin-bearing  servant,  and  the  Saviour  of 
his  people  from  their  sins. 

The  prediction  begins  with  a  distich  setting  forth  the 
success  of  the  servant  and  his  great  exaltation.  This 
corresponds  with  the  previous  representation.^  The  re- 
mainder of  the  first  strophe  presents  the  servant  in  two 
contrasted  conditions.  In  the  former  his  face  and  form 
are  so  disfigured  that  he  excites  the  astonishment  of  men. 
His  sufferings  are  extraordinary.  In  the  latter  his  ex- 
altation is  so  great,  transcending  all  experience,  that 
the  nations  are  startled  and  their  kings  are  dumb  in 
wonder.^ 

The  second  strophe  describes  the  sufferer  more  fully. 
He  grows  up  before  God  as  a  sapling,  as  a  root  out  of  a 
dry  ground.  His  origin  is  in  an  humble  sphere,  and  in 
an  unpromising  condition.  This  reminds  us,  on  the  one 
hand,  of  the  fruitful  shoot  that  comes  forth  from  the 
stump  and  roots  of  Jesse,^  and,  on  the  other  hand,  of  the 
concealment  of  the  servant  by  Jahveh.^  When  he  attains 
manhood,  he  has  no  majesty  of  form  and  no  attractive- 
ness of  appearance  that  men  should  be  drawn  to  him  and 
recognise  him  as  their  prophet  and  leader.  Outward 
appearances  are  all  against  him.  He  is  not  only  un- 
attractive, but  he  is  also  repulsive.  Men  of  rank  and 
condition  turn  away  from  him.  His  face  and  form  are 
so  dreadful  in  their  expression  of  sorrow  and  woe,  that 
men  forsake  him.  They  treat  him  as  if  he  were  a  leper, 
and  had  been  smitten  by  God  with  a  foul  disease.     They 


^  The  order  of  topic  is  the  same  as  we  have  seen  in  Ps.  xl.     See 
p.  329. 

2  This  is  a  fuller  statement  of  the  contrast  of  Isa.  xlix.  7.     See 
p.  354. 

3  Isa.  xi.  1.     See  p.  201.  *  Isa.  xlix.  2.     See  p.  351. 


362  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

cover  their  faces  that  they  may  not  see  him.  The  third 
strophe  gives  the  reason  of  these  intense  sufferings.  He 
is  not  suffering  for  his  own  sins,  but  for  the  sins  of  his 
people.  His  face  is  bathed  in  sorrow,  and  his  form  is  in 
an  agony  of  suffering  because  of  their  transgressions.  He 
bears  their  sins  and  their  sorrows  as  their  representative 
and  substitute.  The  sorrows  of  the  nation  and  the  sins 
of  the  race  are  concentrated  in  his  features  and  embodied 
in  his  form.  He  is  pierced,  scourged,  and  crushed,  and 
suffers  cruel  persecution.  But  this  is  not  the  cause  of 
his  agony.  He  suffers  for  sin,  and  that  not  his  own. 
He  is  an  innocent  sufferer,  whose  grief  is  enhanced  by 
injustice  and  wrong,  and  is  intensified  by  the  keen  appre- 
hension of  the  ill-desert  of  those  for  whom  he  suffers. 
All  else  have  strayed  from  the  fold  of  God,  he  only  is 
faithful,  and  Jahveh  imposes  upon  him  the  sum  of  the 
iniquity  of  his  people.  As  the  only  faithful  and  innocent 
one,  he  comes  to  the  front,  stands  in  the  breach  and  takes 
upon  himself  the  curse  of  the  nation.  We  cannot  see 
in  this  sin-bearing  servant  any  other  than  an  individual 
prophet,  for  the  author  of  the  prophecy  includes  himself 
with  all  others  among  the  straying  sheep,  whose  sins  the 
servant  bears,  and  for  whose  redemption  he  suffers. 

The  prophet  now  advances  to  the  climax  of  these 
sufferings.  They  culminate  in  death.  This  is  described 
as  the  sacrifice  of  a  sheep,  and  as  the  death  of  a  martyr. 
His  contemporaries  all  misunderstand  him.  He  is  inno- 
cent, and  yet  is  esteemed  guilty.  He  does  no  violence, 
and  yet  suffers  extreme  violence.  He  has  no  deceit  in 
his  mouth,  and  yet  he  is  treated  deceitfully.  He  dies 
as  their  redeemer,  and  is  cut  off  because  of  their  trans- 
gressions, and  yet  they  assign  him  a  grave  with  the 
wicked.  It  is  difficult  to  see  in  this  martyr  death  any- 
thing but  the  tieath  of  a  prophet.  It  is  true  that 
national  death  and  national  resurrection  are  now  familiar 


THE  PROPHECY  OF  THE  SERVANT  OF  JAHVEH.         363 

Messianic  ideas ;  ^  but  in  all  these  representations  the 
death  of  Israel  is  ever  a  judicial  death  in  punishment 
for  their  own  sins.  Here,  however,  the  prophet  describes 
a  martyr,  one  who  suffers  for  the  sins  of  his  people,  and 
not  for  his  own  sins.  His  innocence  is  contrasted  with  the 
guilt  of  all  others,  including  the  author  of  the  prophecy. 

The  prophet  finally  represents  that  this  suffering  has 
been  in  order  to  accomplish  a  divine  plan  of  redemption. 
He  suffers  in  obedience  to  the  divine  appointment.  He 
offers  a  trespass-offering  for  the  sins  of  the  people,  in 
order  to  purchase  their  redemption  thereby.  The  trespass- 
offering  has  as  its  idea  the  payment  of  a  fine  in  compen- 
sation for  neglected  duties  and  breaches  of  the  divine 
law.  His  death  is  such  a  substitution  and  compensation 
for  sin.  When  this  has  been  accomplished,  the  con- 
dition of  humiliation  has  come  to  an  end,  and  the 
exaltation  of  the  servant  begins.  There  is  no  explicit 
mention  of  a  resurrection,  but  this  is  implicitly  involved, 
for  he  who  has  died  a  martyr's  death  must  rise  from  the 
dead  in  order  to  receive  the  rewards  of  his  service.  The 
rewards  are  success  in  his  ministry,  the  enjoyment  of 
the  spoils  of  his  victory,  and  exaltation  to  great  honour 
as  the  redeemer.  This  prophecy  of  the  servant  who 
dies  and  rises  from  the  grave,  finds  its  only  fulfilment  in 
the  death  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  in  his  resurrection  and 
exaltation  to  his  heavenly  throne. 

V.   THE  GREAT  INVITATION. 

§  94.  ^  great  invitation  is  extended  to  all  to  partahe 
freely  of  the  blessings  of  the  New  Covenant.  These  are  the 
realization  of  the  mercies  of  God^  assured  to  David  and 
his  seed.  The  word  of  Jahveh  is  as  sure  as  the  ordinances 
of  heaven.  It  will  accomplish  His  purpose,  and  all  nature 
will  rejoice  in  the  redemption  of  His  people, 
^  See  pp.  176,  275, 


364  MESSIANIC  PKOPHECT. 

I.  "  Ho,  every  one  that  thirsteth,  come  ye  to  the  waters, 
And  he  that  hath  no  money  ; 
Come  ye,  buy,  and  eat  ; 
Yea,  come,  buy  without  money, 
And  without  price  wine  and  milk. 

Wherefore  will  ye  spend  money  for  that  which  is  not  bread  ; 
And  your  labour  for  that  which  satisfieth  not  ? 
Hearken    constantly  unto    me,   and    eat    ye    that    which  is 

good, 
And  let  your  soul  delight  itself  in  fatness. 
Incline  your  ear,  and  come  unto  me  ; 
Hear,  and  your  soul  shall  live  : 
And  I  will  make  an  everlasting  covenant  with  you. 
Even  the  sure  mercies  of  David. 
Behold,  I  gave  him  for  a  witness  to  the  peoples, 
A  prince  and  commander  to  the  peoples. 
Behold,  a  nation  that  thou  knowest  not  thou  wilt  call, 
And  a  nation  that  know  not  thee  will  run  unto  thee, 
Because  of  Jahveh  thy  God, 
And  for  the  Holy  One  of  Israel ;  for  he  hath  beautified  thee. 

XL  Seek  ye  Jahveh  while  he  may  be  found, 
Call  ye  upon  him  while  he  is  near : 
Let  the  wicked  forsake  his  way, 
And  the  iniquitous  his  thoughts : 
And  let  him  return  unto  Jahveh,  and  he  will  have  compassion 

upon  him  ; 
And  to  our  God,  for  he  will  abundantly  pardon. 
For  my  thoughts  are  not  your  thoughts. 

And  your  ways  are  not  my  ways,  is  the  utterance  of  Jahveh. 
For  the  heavens  are  higher  than  the  earth  : 
So  are  my  ways  higher  than  your  ways. 
And  my  thoughts  than  your  thoughts. 
For  as  the  rain  cometh  down, 

And  the  snow  is  from  heaven,  and  returas  not  thither 
Except  it  hath  watered  the  earth, 
And  made  it  bring  forth,  and  made  it  sprout, 
And  given  seed  to  the  sower  and  bread  to  the  eater ; 
So  will  my  word  be  that  goeth  forth  out  of  my  mouth  : 
It  will  not  return  unto  me  empty. 
Except  it  hath  accomplished  that  which  I  please, 
And  it  hath  prospered  in  the  thing  whereto  I  sent  it. 


THE  PROPHECY  OF  THE  SERVANT  OF  JAHVEH.        365 

For  ye  will  go  forth  with  joy ^ 

And  he  led  forth  with  peace  to  the  mountaiifis^ 

And  the  hills  will  break  forth  before  you  into  singing^ 

And  all  the  trees  of  the  field  will  dap  their  hand. 

Instead  of  the  thorn  will  come  up  the  fir  tree, 

And  i^istead  of  the  brier  will  come  up  the  myrtle  tree  : 

And  it  will  be  to  Jahveh  for  a  name, 

For  an  everlastiiig  sign  that  will  not  be  cut  of." 

This  section  of  the  prophecy  sets  forth  the  fulness 
and  freeness  of  the  new  covenant  of  redemption.  This 
covenant  is  the  realization  of  the  sure  mercies  of  David, 
that  is,  the  everlasting  mercy  of  Jahveh  promised  to 
David  and  his  seed  in  the  prophecy  of  Nathan.^  These 
mercies  will  be  extended  to  the  people,  to  all  who  accept 
the  invitation  to  partake  of  the  blessings  of  the  covenant. 
They  are  offered  freely  to  all  who  repent  of  their  sins, 
and  turn  unto  Jahveh  with  sincere  obedience.  The  word 
of  God  is  sure  of  success.  It  will  be  fruitful  and 
accomplish  the  divine  purpose  of  redemption.^  All 
nature  will  rejoice  in  the  restoration  of  Israel.  Thorns 
and  briars,  the  fruit  of  the  original  curse,  will  give  place 
to  trees  of  beauty  to  reward  the  righteousness  of  the 
redeemed  people.'* 

VI.  THE  REWARD  OF  RIGHTEOUSNESS. 

§  95.  Israel  is  called  to  repentance,  true  fasting,  deeds 
of  righteousness  and  mercy,  and  sabbath  keeping,  with  the 
promise  of  the  advent  of  Jahveh  as  their  light  and  glory. 

^  D''inn  is  attached  by  the  Massoretes  to  the  next  clause,  but 
this  spoils  the  rhythm  of  both  lines.  The  mountains  are  the 
mountains  of  Israel. 

-'  See  p.  126  seq. 

*  This  reminds  us  of  the  reference  to  the  Davidic  covenant  in 
Jer.  xxxiii.     See  p.  244  seq. 

^  This  description  corresponds  with  Isa.  xxxv.  See  p.  318.  So 
the  new  covenant  is  connected  with  fertility  of  the  land  in  Ezek. 
xxxiv.     See  p.  272  seq. 


366  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

He  li'ill  come  as  a  warrior,  to  interpose  on  their  leTudf  and 
deliver  them  from  their  enemies.  He  vAll  hestow  upon 
them  a  new  covenant,  and  the  Spirit  of  Jahveh  will  abide 
with  them  for  ever. 

The  fifth  section  of  the  original  prophecy  begins  with 
a  trumpet  call  to  repentance.  It  then  gives  a  careful 
discrimination  between  formal  fasting  and  the  true  fast- 
ing that  is  accompanied  with  deeds  of  righteousness  and 
mercy.     To  the  latter  the  promise  of  redemption  is  made. 

"Then  will  thy  light  break  forth  as  the  dawn, 
And  thy  health  will  spring  forth  speedily  : 
And  thy  righteousness  will  go  before  thee  ; 
The  glory  of  Jahveh  will  bring  up  the  rear. 
Then  wilt  thou  call,  and  Jahveh  will  answer  ; 
Thou  wilt  cry,  and  he  will  say,  Here  am  I. 

If  thou  take  away  from  the  midst  of  thee  the  yoke, 

The  putting  forth  of  the  finger,  and  speaking  vanity ; 

And  shouldest  thou  ^  draw  out  thy  soul  to  the  hungry, 

And  satisfy  the  afflicted  soul. 

Then  will  thy  light  rise  in  darkness, 

And  thy  thick  darkness  be  as  the  noon  day  : 

And  Jahveh  will  guide  thee  continually, 

And  satisfy  thy  desire  in  drought, 

And  make  strong  thy  bones  : 

And  thou  shalt  become  like  a  watered  garden,  and  like  a  spi-ing 

of  water. 
Whose  waters  fail  not. 

And  they  that  shall  be  of  thee  will  build  the  old  waste  places : 
Thou  wilt  raise  up  the  foundations  of  many  generations ; 
And  thou  wilt  be  called.  The  repairer  of  the  breach, 
The  restorer  of  paths  to  dwell  in. 


1  The  form  p2ni  is  difficult.  The  weak  vav  with  the  jussive 
seems  to  be  out  of  place.  Strictly  it  should  have  its  jussive  force, 
and  yet  most  interpreters  render  it  as  if  it  were  vav  consec.  of  the 
perfect  carrying  on  the  protasis  of  the  condition.  Ewald,  Knobel 
and  Delitzsch  take  it  as  a  new  protasis  with  modal  force.  This  is 
best,  although  the  indicative  form  is  used  in  the  next  clause,  and 
the  vav  consec.  of  perfect  in  the  apodosis. 


THE  PROPHECY  OF  THE  SERVANT  OF  JAHVEH.        367 

If  thou  turn  away  thy  foot  from  the  sabbath, 

From  doing  thy  pleasure  on  my  holy  day  ; 

And  call  the  sabbath  a  delight, 

And  the  holy  thing  of  Jahveh  honourable  ; 

And  honour  it,  so  as  not  to  do  thine  own  ways, 

Nor  find  thine  own  pleasure,  nor  speak  words : 

Then  shalt  thou  delight  thyself  in  Jahveh  ; 

And  I  will  make  thee  to  ride  upon  the  high  places  of  the  earth  ; 

And  I  will  feed  thee  with  the  inheritance  of  Jacob  thy  father. 

Verily  the  mouth  of  Jahveh  hath  spoken  it."   — Isa.  Iviii.  8-14. 

The  sins  of  Israel  have  brought  them  into  trouble  and 
darkness.  Jahveh  is  their  light  and  salvation.  The 
people  are  called  to  repentance,  to  put  aside  their  formal 
fasting  and  engage  in  the  real  fastings,  that  alone  give 
pleasure  to  Jahveh,  namely,  deeds  of  righteousness  and 
mercy.  They  are  also  exhorted  to  be  faithful  to  the 
Sabbath,  the  holy  day  of  Jahveh.  All  other  holy  things 
have  been  destroyed.  All  the  more  is  their  fidelity  to 
be  shown  by  the  sanctification  of  the  holy  day.  In 
response  to  such  repentance  Jahveh  will  come.  His 
glory  will  be  revealed,  and  His  light  will  shine,  and 
dispel  their  darkness  and  gloom.  He  will  guide  them 
continually,  and  satisfy  all  their  needs,  so  that  they  will 
become  like  a  well- watered  garden ;  and  the  wastes  of 
Zion,  which  have  now  been  long  desolate,  will  be  rebuilt. 

Chap.  lix.  is  a  severe  indictment  of  Israel  for  their 
sins  and  the  evil  condition  into  which  they  have  brought 
themselves.  But  the  more  desperate  the  condition,  the 
greater  the  necessity  for  the  di\ine  interposition. 

"  When  Jahveh  saw, 
And  it  was  evil  in  his  eyes  that  there  was  no  one, 
And  saw  that  there  was  no  man, 
And  wondered  that  there  was  no  one  to  interpose :  ^ 

^  y^IDD  is  used  here  of  Jahveh  as  the  verb  i;''Ja''  is  used  of  the 
servant  in  liii.  12.  Both  Jahveh  and  His  servant  must  interpose  for 
the  redemption  of  his  people. 


368  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

His  own  arm  brought  salvation  unto  him ; 

And  his  righteousness,  it  upheld  him. 

And  he  put  on  righteousness  as  a  breastplate, 

And  an  helmet  of  salvation  upon  his  head  ; 

And  he  put  on  garments  of  vengeance, 

And  was  clad  with  zeal  as  a  cloke. 

According  to  their  deeds,  accordingly  will  he  repay 

Fury  to  his  adversaries,  recompense  to  his  enemies ; 

To  the  coasts  he  will  repay  recompense. 

Verily  they  will  fear  the  name  of  Jaliveh  from  the  sun-setting, 

And  his  glory  from  the  rising  of  the  sun : 

For  he  will  come  as  a  rushing  stream, 

Which  the  wind  of  Jahveh  ^  driveth. 

And  a  redeemer  will  come  to  Zion, 

And  unto  them  that  tm^n  from  transgression  in  Jacob,  is  the 

utterance  of  Jahveh. 
And  as  for  me,  this  is  my  covenant  with  them,  saith  Jahveh : 
My  Spirit  that  is  upon  thee, 
And  my  words  which  I  have  put  in  thy  mouth, 
Will  not  depart  out  of  thy  mouth,  nor  out  of  the  mouth  of  thy 

seed. 
Nor  out  of  the  mouth  of  thy  seed's  seed,  saith  Jahveh, 
From  henceforth  and  for  ever."  — Isa.  lix.  16-21. 

This  section  of  the  prophecy  represents  Jahveh  Him- 
self interposing  for  the  redemption  of  His  people,  as  He 
had  constituted  His  servant  the  mediator  and  the  sin- 
bearing  victim.  There  must  be  a  mediation  on  the 
divine  side  as  well  as  on  the  human  side  of  the  Mes- 
sianic idea.  Jahveh's  interposition  is  not  in  suffering; 
that  was  the  work  of  the  servant.  He  interposes  as  an 
almighty  conqueror  to  reward  all  the  enemies  of  His 
people  according  to  their  ill  deserts.     For  this  end  He  is 

^  nin''  nil  is  rendered  spirit  of  Jahveh  by  the  A.Y.,  after  the 
Targum  and  the  older  interpreters.  But  Lowth,  Delitzsch  and 
others,  after  the  Vulgate,  render,  wind  or  tempest  from  God,  in 
accordance  with  the  context.  The  E.V.,  after  Knobel,  Ewald, 
Cheyne  and  Eodwell,  rendei-s  breath  of  God,  which  has  essentiallj 
the  same  meaning.  The  wind  is  called  the  wind  of  Jahveh,  after 
the  analogy  of  cedars  of  God,  mountains  of  God,  and  other  the  like 
expressions. 


THE  PROPHECY  OF  THE  SERVANT  OF  JAHVEH.         369 

seen  arming  Himself  from  head  to  foot  for  the  conflict, 
whose  result  is  final  victory  for  His  people,  and  inevit- 
able ruin  for  their  adversaries.  The  result  of  this 
interposition  is  that  the  glory  of  Jahveh  extends  over  the 
world  from  sunrise  to  sunset.  The  new  covenant  is 
established  with  the  people  of  God.  This  covenant  is 
internal,  so  that  the  divine  words  are  in  the  mouths  of 
the  seed  of  Israel  unto  all  generations.  This  is  similar 
to  the  representations  of  Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel.  In 
Jeremiah  the  words  are  written  upon  the  heart ;  ^  in 
Ezekiel,  a  new  heart  and  a  new  spirit  are  given  with 
which  to  walk  in  the  divine  commands ;  ^  here  the 
words  are  in  the  mouth.  All  these  are  varied  repre- 
sentations of  the  same  great  thought,  tliat  the  external, 
formal,  and  legalistic  observance  will  give  place  to 
internal,  real  and  spiritual  obedience.  The  divine  Spirit 
also  abides  with  the  seed  of  Israel  for  ever.  This  is  a 
reiteration  of  the  promises  of  Joel,  Ezekiel,  and  also  of 
the  great  unknown  himself.* 

This  fifth  part  of  the  original  edition  of  the  prophecy 
gives  a  final  representation  of  the  servant.  Some  have 
thought  it  strange  that  the  prophet  should  add  anything 
more  after  he  had  reached  the  height  of  the  sin-bearing 
servant,  but  really  there  was  something  still  lacking  to 
complete  the  picture,  and  this  is  now  given  us  in  chap.  Ixi. 

VII.    THE  GREAT  PREACHER. 

§  96.  The  servant  of  Jahveh  is  anointed  with  the 
divine  Spirit,  and  becomes  the  gentle  preacher  of  redemption 
to  the  poor  and  afllictedy.  He  proclaims  the  year  of  grace^ 
as  well  as  the  day  of  judgment.  He  transforms  sorrow 
into  joy.  The  people  of  Jahveh  become  the  priests,  and  the 
Tuitions  their  servants.  Tlie  cities  of  Jndah  are  rebuilt^ 
1  See  p.  253.  ^  g^g  p  274.  3  See  pp.  154,  283,  and  343. 

2  A 


370  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

and  the  returning  exiles  enjoy  the  blessings  of  the  new 
covenant,  and  are  recognised  as  the  seed  who  enjoy  the 
divine  blessing.  In  view  of  this  accomplishment  of  his 
work  the  servant  rejoices  in  a  song  of  praise. 

I.  "  The  Spirit  of  Jahveh  ^  is  upon  me  ; 
Because  Jahveh  hath  anointed  me. 
To  preach  good  tidings  unto  the  meek  he  hath  sent  me, 
To  bind  up  the  broken-hearted, 
To  proclaim  liberty  to  the  captives. 
And  deliverance  to  them  that  are  bound  ; 
To  proclaim  the  acceptable  year  of  Jahveh,* 
And  the  day  of  vengeance  of  our  God ; 
To  comfort  all  that  mourn  ; 
To  provide  for  the  mourners  of  Zion, 
To  give  unto  them  a  headdress  instead  of  ashes,' 
The  oil  of  joy  for  mourning, 

The  garment  of  praise  for  the  spirit  of  faintness  ;  * 
And  they  will  be  called  terebinths  of  righteousness, 
The  planting  of  Jahveh  to  beautify  himself. 

IL  And  they  will  build  the  old  wastes,^ 

They  will  raise  up  the  former  desolations, 

And  they  will  repair  the  waste  cities. 

The  desolations  of  many  generations. 

And  strangers  will  stand  and  feed  your  flocks, 

And  the  sons  of  the  alien  will  be  your  plowmen  and  your 

vinedressers. 
But  ye  will  be  named  the  priests  of  Jahveh : 
Ye  will  be  called  the  ministers  of  our  God : 
Ye  will  eat  the  riches  of  the  nations. 


1  nin"'  •'ns  m-|.  The  LXX.,  N.  T.  citation  (Luke  iv.  18),  and 
Vulgate  omit  the  "•ilN,  and  this  is  doubtless  correct.  '>:nx  nin"*  is 
characteristic  of  the  pentameter  sections  of  the  book,  and  is  not 
found  in  the  trimeters.  Cheyne  follows  Lowth  in  omitting  it.  It 
should  also  be  omitted,  for  the  same  reasons,  in  the  last  line  but  one 
of  the  })iece. 

2  Compare  Isa.  xlix.  8  ;  Ps.  Ixix.  14. 

3  There  is  a  word-play  here.  The  mourner  receives  nss  instead 
of  IBX- 

*  r\ri:i.     See  Isa.  xlii.  3.  *  See  Isa.  Ivni.  12. 


THE  PROPHECY  OF  THE  SERVANT  OF  JAHVEH.         371 

And  in  their  glory  will  ye  pride  yourselves.* 

For  your  shame  ye  will  have  double  ; 

And  for  confusion  they  will  rejoice  in  their  portion  : 

Therefore  in  their  land  they  will  possess  the  double : 

Everlasting  joy  will  be  theirs. 

III.  For  I,  Jahveh,  love  judgment, 
I  hate  robbery  with  iniquity  ;  ^ 
And  I  will  give  them  recompense  in  faithfulness, 
And  I  will  make  an  everlasting  covenant  with  them, 
And  their  seed  will  be  known  among  the  nations, 
And  their  offspring  among  the  peoples : 
All  that  see  them  will  acknowledge  them, 
That  they  are  the  seed  which  Jahveh  hath  blessed. 

/  will  greatly  rejoice  in  Jahveh, 

Let  my  soul  he  joyful  in  my  God ; 

For  he  hath  clothed  me  with  the  garments  of  salvation, 

He  hath  covered  me  with  the  robe  of  righteousness. 

As  a  bridegroom  piUteth  on  a  priesfs  turban, 

And  as  a  bride  adorneth  herself  with  her  jewels. 

For  as  the  earth  bringeth  forth  her  increase, 

And  as  a  garden  causeth  that  which  is  planted  in  it  to  spring  forth, 

So  will  Jahveh  cause  righteousness  to  spring  forth. 

And  praise  before  all  nations." 

In  this  passage  the  idea  of  the  servant  of  Jahveh 
reaches  its  climax.  It  was  not  without  reason  that  the 
Messiah  recognised  himself  most  distinctly  in  this  picture, 
and  employed  it  in  his  discourse  in  the  synagogue  of 
Nazareth  to  explain  his  mission  to  his  unbelieving 
kindred   and   townsmen,^   for   here  we  see  the  Messiah 

^  liDTin  is  taken  by  Knobel,  Gesenius,  Ewald,  Nagelsbach, 
Eeinke,  as  Hithp.  of  IDV  change,  and  rendered  exchange  them- 
selves. But  Delitzsch,  Bottcher,  and  Cheyne  follow  the  LXX., 
Peshitto  and  Jerome  in  taking  -irD"*  as  equivalent  to  nCN*,  stand 
forth,  and  render  exalt  oneself.     This  is  favoured  by  Ps.  xciv.  4. 

^  rhSVI  as  pointed  in  the  Massoretic  text  is  whole  burnt-offering. 
So  Jerome,  Talmud,  Luther,  etc.  But  Ewald,  Knobel,  Delitzsch, 
Eeinke,  Nagelsbach,  Cheyne  follow  the  LXX.,  Targum,  Peshitto, 
and  Saadia  in  reading  n?iy. 

»  Lukeiv.  17-22. 


372  MESSIANIC  PROrHECY. 

preaching  the  gospel  of  redemption  that  he  has  already 
achieved,  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  ministry,  and  rejoicing 
in   the  accomplishment   of    his   work.       He  is  anointed 
with  the  divine  Spirit,  as  in  the  first  passage,  and  becomes 
a   gentle  preacher.^      There  he  was  unostentatious   and 
meek  in  his   entire  work,  not   breaking   off  the  broken 
reed  or  putting  out  the  faint  wick,  but  yet  releasing  the 
captives.      Here  he  has  the  same  work,  but  as  he  describes 
his  own  mission  and  work  he  enlarges  upon  this  feature 
of  it,  and  we   see  him  binchng   up  the  broken-hearted, 
comforting  mourners,  giving   them  festal  robes,  instead 
of  the  ashes  and  sackcloth  of  humiliation  and  mourning. 
There  he  was  the  light  of  the  nations,  as  well  as  the 
covenant   of  Israel.      This  feature  was   enlarged  in  the 
second  representation.     He  raises  up  the  tribes  of  Jacob, 
restores  them  to  their  own  land,  and  becomes  salvation 
to  the  ends  of    the  earth.^     Here   this  is  still  further 
enlarged.       The    redeemed    become    like    terebinths    of 
righteousness,    they    build    the    wastes    of    Judah    and 
Jerusalem,  they  become  the  priests  of  the  nations,  and 
the   nations  become   their   servants.     Thus  they  realize 
their    original  ideal    as    set   forth   in    the    covenant   of 
Horeb.^     They  are  recognised  by  the  nations  as  the  seed 
that  enjoy  the   blessing  of  Jahveh,  and  thus  attain  the 
Abrahamic   covenant.*      They  enjoy  the   new  covenant 
with  its   everlasting  joy   and    prosperity,  which  is  now 
familiar   to   us    from    the   representations   of    Jeremiah, 
Ezekiel,  and  the  great  unknown  himself.     This  prophecy 
thus  sums  up  in  itself,  and  enlarges  upon  all  the  previous 
descriptions  of  the  servant,  with  the  exception  of  those 
relating    to    the     suffering     substitute.       That    picture 
presented   fully   the   servant's  condition   of  humiliation. 
It  mentioned  the  servant's  exaltation  only  at  the  begin- 

1  xlii.  1-7.     See  p.  343.  2  xH^.  1-7.     See  p.  353. 

8  Ex.  xix.  3-6.     See  p.  101.  "*  Gen.  xii.  1-3.    See  p.  83  seq. 


THE  PROPHECY  OF  THE  SERVANT  OF  JAHVEH.         373 

ning  and  at  the  conclusion.  That  which  was  left 
undeveloped  there  is  here  the  substance  of  the  picture. 
The  servant  is  here  not  engaged  in  the  work  of  substi- 
tution and  interposition,  but  he  is  employed  in  proclaiming 
the  results  of  it,  and  in  applying  the  fruits  of  it,  in  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel  of  redemption  to  the  poor  and 
miserable.  The  sin-bearing  servant  needs  as  his  counter- 
part the  joyful  preacher  of  the  glad  tidings  of  a  redemp- 
tion that  has  been  accomplished.  The  servant  no  longer 
bears  the  name  of  servant,  he  is  preparing  the  poor  and 
sorrowful  for  the  festival  of  redemption  of  the  year  of 
grace.  It  is  most  fitting,  therefore,  that  the  prophecy 
should  conclude  with  a  song  of  joy  in  the  mouth  of  the 
great  preacher.  He  has  accomplished  his  mission,  and 
is  entitled  to  its  rewards,  and  the  saddest  of  all  sorrows 
has  been  transformed  into  the  purest  and  loftiest  joy. 


CHAPTER  XIL 

THE  PHOPHECY  OF  THE  EESTOEATION  OF  ZION. 

The  second  edition  of  the  prophecy  is  a  book  of  com- 
fort to  Zion,  who  is  personified  and  represented  as  the 
wife  of  Jahveh  and  the  mother  of  its  inhabitants.  The 
introduction,  the  conchision,  and  the  four  intermediate 
refrains,  together  with  the  several  pieces  with  which  they 
are  connected,  all  set  forth  the  same  theme.  The  advent 
of  Jahveh  is  at  hand.  He  comes  to  comfort  Zion  and 
restore  her  wastes.  His  people  are  to  go  forth  from 
Babylon  and  pass  through  the  wilderness  to  the  holy 
land.  The  scenes  of  the  exodus  from  Egypt  are  to  be 
transcended  in  marvellous  transformations  of  nature  and 
by  the  wonders  of  the  divine  guidance.  Zion  is  the 
central  figure  of  this  second  edition  of  the  prophecy,  as 
the  servant  of  Jahveh  is  the  chief  feature  of  the  first 
edition.     The  theme  is  developed  in  several  sections. 

I.    JAHVEH'S  HIGHWAY  TO  ZION. 

§  97.  The  time  of  Zions  suffering  for  sin  is  completed. 
The  ancient  promises  ivill  now  he  fulfilled.  The  advent 
of  Jahveh  is  heralded  by  messengers,  freyared  hy  a  trans- 
formation of  nature  and  proclaimed  hy  Zion  as  glad 
tidings.  Jahveh  comes  with  the  strong  arm  of  a  ruler 
and  with  the  tenderness  of  a  shejpherd  on  the  highway  of 
redemption. 

874 


THE  PROPHECY  OF  THE  RESTORATION  OF  ZION.        375 

I.  "Comfort  ye,  comfort  ye,  my  people,  saith  your  God  ; 

Speak  unto  the  heart  of  Jerusalem,  and  proclaim  unto  her, 
That  her  warfare  is  accomplished,  that  her  iniquity  is  discharged, 
That  she  hath  received  from  the  hand  of  Jahveh  double  for  all 

her  sins. 
Hark !   one  proclaiming,  '  in  the  wilderness  clear  the  way  of 

Jahveh, 
Level  in  the  desert  a  highway  for  our  God. 
Let  every  valley  be  lifted  up,  and  every  mountain  and  hill  be 


And  the  crooked  place  become  straight,  and  the  rugged  place  a 

plain. 
And  the  glory  of  Jahveh  will  be  revealed,  and  all  flesh  will  see  it 

together. 
For  the  mouth  of  Jahveh  hath  spoken  it.' 

IL  Hark !  one  saying  proclaim.     And  one  is  saying,  what  shall  I 

proclaim  ? 
All  flesh  is  grass,  and  all  its  glory  ^  as  the  flower  of  the  field. 
The  grass  withereth,  the  flower  fadeth,  when  the  spirit  of  Jahveh 

hath  blown  thereon. 
Surely  the  people  are  grass.     The  grass  withereth,  the  flower 

fadeth, 
But  the  word  of  God  standeth  for  ever. 

Go  up  on  the  high  mountain,  Zion  that  bringest  good  tidings, 
Lift  up  thy  voice  with  strength,  Jerusalem  that  bringest  good 

tidings. 
Lift  it  up,  fear  not,  say  to  the  cities  of  Judah,  behold  your  God  1 
Behold,  'Adonay  Jahveh  cometh  as  a  strong  one,^  his  arm  ruling 

for  him, 


^  non  of  the  Massoretic  text  has  the  meaning  of  mercy  elsewhere. 
But  Ejiobel,  Delitzsch,  Cheyne  and  others  suppose  that  it  means 
here,  grace,  elegance  or  beauty,  as  its  synonym  }n.  Bat  there  is  no 
evidence  for  it  unless  it  be  found  in  this  passage.  The  LXX.  and 
1  Pet.  i.  24  render  l6t»  as  if  they  read  "iin^.  This  harmonizes 
with  the  context,  and  accordingly  is  adopted  by  Ewald.  Lowth 
would  read  nn.  •    •        /• 

^  pTna.  Ewald  regards  this  as  a  simple  and  beautiful  variation  of 
nprn  n^  of  Ex.  xiii.  9.  It  is  taken  by  the  LXX.,  Peshitto,  Targum 
and  Gesenius  as  an  abstract,  "  with  strength."  But  the  K.  V.  and 
most  recent  interpreters  take  it  as  a  concrete  with  the  a  essentise. 


376  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

Behold,  his  wage  is  with  him  and  his  recompense  before  him  ; 
Like  a  shepherd  he  feedeth  his  flock,  with  his  arm  gathereth  the 

lambs, 
And  in  his  bosom  lif teth  them, — those  that  give  suck  he  leadeth.' 

— Isa.  xl.  1-11. 

This  introduction  is  dramatic  in  form.  The  message 
of  comfort  is  first  given  by  the  prophet  in  four  lines. 
The  warfare  of  Zion  is  now  about  to  come  to  an  end. 
Her  iniquity  has  been  discharged.  She  has  suffered  for 
her  sins  in  double  measure.  She  is  now  about  to  receive 
her  reward  in  the  advent  of  her  God.  The  herald  of  the 
advent  first  appears  calling  upon  nature  to  prepare  a 
highway.  The  mountains  and  hills  are  to  fall  down,  the 
valleys  are  to  rise,  the  crooked  places  are  to  become 
straight,  and  the  rough  places  smooth,  in  order  that  the 
way  of  Jahveh  may  be  entirely  level,  straight,  and  without 
impediment.  Such  a  transformation  of  nature  is  ever  the 
accompaniment  of  the  divine  advent ;  but  here  nature  is 
to  prepare  the  way  for  Jahveh's  advance  in  the  redemption 
of  His  people;  for  He  comes  in  glory  as  the  saviour  of  Zion. 

In  the  second  strophe  two  voices  are  heard,  the  one 
receiving  from  the  other  the  message  contrasting  the 
perpetuity  and  infallibility  of  the  word  of  divine  promise 
with  the  frailness  and  perishableness  of  man.  Finally, 
Zion  and  Jerusalem  are  seen  ascending  the  mountains 
and  announcing  to  the  cities  of  Judah  the  glad  tidings  of 
the  advent.  God  comes  as  a  strong  one,  distributing  His 
awards  according  to  the  desert  of  men ;  but  He  is  the 
gentle  Shepherd  of  His  people,  providing  especially  for  the 
lambs  of  the  flock  and  the  mothers  who  are  caring  for 
their  young.  In  these  closing  words  the  shepherd  of 
Israel  reaches  the  height  of  its  representation.  In  the 
earlier  Zechariah  the  shepherd  rejects  his  flock  on  account 
of  their  low  estimation  of  his  services.^  In  Ps.  Ixxx. 
1  See  p.  187. 


THE  PROPHECY  OF  THE  EESTORATION  OF  ZION.   377 

the  shepherd  of  Israel  is  still  angry  with  his  people,  who 
earnestly  beseech  him  to  come  for  their  salvation.^  In 
Ezekiel  the  faithful  shepherd  is  seen  recovering  his 
scattered  flock  and  restoring  them  to  their  own  land.^ 
Here  the  shepherd  is  seen  leading  his  flock  on  the  high- 
way of  redemption.  He  is  tender  and  gentle,  and 
provides  especially  for  the  little  suckling  lambs  and  their 
mothers.  These  might  be  weary  on  their  journey.  But 
he  takes  the  lambs  in  his  bosom,  and  with  patient,  gentle 
step  conducts  the  mothers  from  the  land  of  exile  to  Zion. 
Every  one,  even  the  feeblest,  will  share  in  the  great 
salvation. 

The  first  refrain  of  the  prophecy  is  in  a  little  piece  of 
ten   lines  inserted  at  the  close  of  the  first  part  of  the 
original  trimeter  prophecy.     It  presents  the  same  theme 
with  additional  features. 
"  I  have  been  long  time  silent.     Shall  I  be  still  ?     Shall  I  restrain 

myself  ?  ® 
As  a  woman  in  labour  will  I  groan,  I  will  gasp  and  I  will  pant 

together. 
I  will  lay  waste  mountains  and  hills,  and  all  their  herbs  dry  up ; 
And  make  rivers  into  coasts,  and  pools  I  will  dry  up ; 
And  lead  the  blind  in  a  way  they  know  not. 
In  paths  they  know  not  will  I  make  them  go  ; 
I  will  make  darkness  into  light  before  them,  and  rugged  places  into 

a  plain,* 
These  things  I  do  with  them,  and  I  do  not  forsake  them.^ 
They  are  thrust  back  and  are  ashamed  with  shame,  those  who  trust 

in  graven  images. 
Those  who  say  to  the  molten  images,  '  Ye  are  our  gods.' " 

— Isa.  xlii.  14-17. 

1  See  p.  228.  2  gee  p.  272. 

*  {J^nnj?  and  pDxnX  are  rendered  by  the  R.Y.  and  many  inter- 
preters as  if  they  were  the  same  tense  as  Tl^t^Tin.  The  difference 
in  tense  should  be  noted.  It  is  best,  with  Ewald,  to  regard  the 
imperfects  as  interrogatives. 

*  Compare  Isa.  xl.  4. 

^  These  are  prophetic  perfects.  It  is  better  to  render  them  by 
emphatic  presents  than  by  futures. 


378  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

As  in  the  introduction  the  time  of  warfare  had  to  he 
accomplished,  so  here  Jahveh  has  been  long  silent.  But 
the  time  has  come  for  the  advent.  He  is  eager  for  it  as 
a  mother  to  give  birth  to  her  child.  He  is  even  in  the 
pangs  of  child-birth,  and  in  His  labour  there  will  be  a 
transformation  of  nature.  The  mountains  and  hills  will 
be  laid  waste,  as  in  the  previous  representation  they  were 
depressed.  The  rivers  and  pools  that  might  be  in  the 
way  are  dried  up.  Even  the  blind  are  to  be  led  in  a 
way  unknown  to  them,  and  their  darkness  will  give  place 
to  light.  Jahveh  will  not  forsake  them,  but  will  accom- 
plish all  these  things  for  them.  Only  the  idolatrous  will 
be  brought  to  shame.  As  in  the  previous  piece  Jahveh 
was  gentle  to  the  suckling  children  and  their  mothers,  so 
here  He  is  especially  kind  to  the  blind.^ 

II.  JAHVEH  THE  ONLY  GOD  AND  SAVIOUR. 

The  second  section  of  the  prophecy  deals  especially 
with  the  overthrow  of  Babylon  by  Cyrus.  The  prophet 
gives  a  very  striking  representation  of  the  work  of  Cyrus 
in  the  deliverance  of  Israel  and  the  execution  of  the 
divine  judgment  upon  Babylon  and  the  nations.  C}tus 
now  has  the  same  work  of  judgment  to  accomplish  that 
the  Assyrians  and  Babylonians  had  done  before  him. 
But  this  judgment  was  not  a  chastisement  of  Israel  as 
the  Assyrian  and  Babylonian  oppressions  had  been. 
Cyrus  is  the  conqueror  of  the  enemies  of  Zion,  and  her 
deliverer  and  restorer.  Jahveh  raised  him  up  for  this 
purpose,  and  assigned  him  his  career  of  conquest.  The 
prophet  is  thus  guided  to  take  a  more  friendly  view 
of  the  relation  of  Israel  to  the  nations,  and  to 
discern  that  Jahveh  is  the  only  God  and  Saviour  of  the 
world. 

1  This  reminds  us  of  Isa.  xxxv.  5.     See  p.  318. 


THE  PROPHECY  OF  THE  RESTORATION  OF  ZION.        3*79 

§  98.  Israel  will  go  forth  from  Bahjlon  ivith  songs  of 
joy.  Jahveh  will  guide  them  through  the  wilderness  and 
quench  their  thirst  hy  water  from  the  rocks.  All  the  ends 
of  the  earth  will  turn  unto  Jahveh,  and  every  tongue  will 
swear  allegiance  to  Him. 

"  Declare  ye,  and  bring  it  forth ;  yea,  let  tliem  take  counsel 
together  ; 

Who  hath  showed  this  from  ancient  time,  hath  declared  it  of  old? 

Have  not  I,  Jahveh  %  and  there  is  no  God  else  beside  me  ; 

A  just  'El  and  a  Saviour  ;  there  is  none  beside  me. 

Look  unto  me,  and  be  ye  saved,  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  :  for  I 
am  'El,  and  there  is  none  else. 

By  myself  have  I  sworn,  the  word  is  gone  forth  from  my  mouth 
in  righteousness,  and  will  not  return, 

That  unto  me  every  knee  shall  bow,  every  tongue  shall  swear. 

Only  in  Jahveh,  one  said  to  me,i  are  perfect  righteousness  ^  and 
strength : 

Even  to  him  will  come,^  and  will  be  ashamed  all  they  that  were 
incensed  against  him. 

In  Jahveh  will  all  the  seed  of  Israel  be  justified,  and  boast  them- 
selves." — Isa.  xlv.  21-25. 

Jahveh  is  the  only  God  and  Saviour.  There  is  no 
other  God.  It  follows,  therefore,  that  He  and  He  alone 
must  be  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  if  salvation  is  to 
extend  beyond  the  Jewish  race.  Our  prophet  attains 
this  conception,  and  looks  forward  to  the  time  when  the 
people  will  turn  unto  Jahveh  from  all  parts  of  the  earth, 

^  "IDX  'h'  This  is  a  voice  to  the  prophet,  such  as  we  have  seen  in 
*J)0t<1  of  xl.  3,  and  will  see  again  in  Ivii.  14. 

^  niplV  is  probably  the  emphatic  plural. 

^  ^5n^  The  singular  is  rendered  as  a  plural  by  the  Peshitto, 
Vulgate,  some  MSS.  of  the  Hebrew  and  LXX.  There  has  probably 
been  a  transposition  of  the  \  and  we  should  read  1S2V  The  con- 
struction of  the  pentameter  line  favours  this.  There  are  often  two 
verbs  at  the  beginning  of  a  line  such  as  we  should  have  in  isn** 
IK^n"'!.  It  is  ditiicult  to  find  a  good  reason  for  the  singular  form 
without  introducing  an  awkward  contrast  into  the  line.  We  have 
the  proper  contrast  between  this  line  and  the  next.  Lowth,  Knobel, 
Ewald,  Cheyne  and  most  critics  rightly  read  the  plural. 


380  IVIESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

and  when  every  knee  will  bow  in  His  worship,  and  every 
tongue  swear  allegiance  to  Him.  This  universal  salvation 
is  the  result  of  that  line  of  prophecy  that  has  been 
extending  the  boundaries  of  redemption  beyond  the 
borders  of  the  chosen  people.  We  have  seen  it  extended 
in  the  earlier  Isaiah  to  Egypt  and  Assyria,  Ethiopia  and 
Tyre/  and  in  Zephaniah  to  the  Ethiopians  and  Libyans.^ 
Ps.  Ixxxvii.  describes  the  adoption  of  the  nations :  Egypt, 
Babylon,  Philistia,  Tyre,  and  Ethiopia,  one  after  another 
in  the  city  of  God.^  Jeremiah  sees  all  nations  assem- 
bling to  the  new  Jerusalem.^  But  the  great  unknown 
first  grasps  the  problem  of  the  world  -  wide  extent  of 
redemption,  and  sees  all  mankind  united  in  the  worship 
of  the  one  only  true  God  and  Saviour. 

The  second  refrain  becomes  more  specific  with  reference 
to  the  departure  from  Babylon,  as  we  should  expect  from 
its  relation  to  the  prophecy  respecting  Cyrus  and  the 
overthrow  of  Babylon. 

"  Thus  saith  Jahveli,  thy  Eedeemer,  the  Holy  One  of  Israel : 
I,  Jahveh,  thy  God,  which  teacheth  thee  to  profit, 
Which  leadeth  thee  in  the  way  thou  shouldest  go. 
Oh  that  thou  hadst  hearkened  to  my  commandments  ! 
Then  had  thy  peace  been  as  a  river,  and  thy  righteousness  as  the 

waves  of  the  sea  ; 
Thy  seed  also  had  been  as  the  sand,  and  the  ofi'spring  of  thy 

bowels  like  the  grains  thereof  ; 
His  name  will  not  be  cut  off  nor  destroyed  from  before  me. 
Go  ye  forth  from  Babylon,  flee  ye  from  the  Chaldeans  with  a  voice 

of  singing, 
Declare  ye,  tell  this,  utter  it  even  to  the  end  of  the  eai'th  : 
Say  ye,  Jahveh  hath  redeemed  his  servant  Jacob. 
And  they  thirsted  not,  he  led  them  through  the  deserts  ; 
He  caused  the  watere  to  flow  out  of  the  rock  for  them  ;  he  clave 

the  rock  also,  and  the  waters  gushed  out. 
There  is  no  peace,  saith  Jahveh,  to  the  wicked." 

— Isa.  xlviii.  17-22. 


See  p.  206.  ^  See  p.  225. 

See  p.  226.  *  See  p.  242. 


THE  PROPHECY  OF  THE  RESTORATION  OF  ZION.        381 

In  this  piece  we  have  the  reason  of  the  exile.  As  in 
the  introduction  it  had  been  the  discharge  of  a  debt  of 
iniquity,  so  here  it  had  been  because  of  neglect  of  Jahveh's 
commands.  If  Zion  had  followed  the  teaching  of  Jahveh, 
the  ancient  promises  would  have  been  fulfilled.  The 
seed  promised  to  Abraham  would  have  been  as  the  sands 
of  the  sea,^  and  their  peace  would  have  been  like  an 
ever-flowing  river,  and  their  righteousness  as  the  waves 
of  the  sea.  The  exile  has  been  only  a  temporary  failure. 
The  promises  will  yet  be  fulfilled.  The  exile  is  to  be 
followed  by  restoration,  and  the  exiles  are  summoned  to 
go  forth  from  Babylon.  As  in  the  exodus  from  Egypt, 
so  will  it  be  in  this  greater  exodus.  Waters  will  burst 
from  the  rock  to  quench  the  thirst  of  those  whose  path 
leads  through  the  desert  to  the  promised  land. 

III.    JAHVEH  IS  FAITHFUL  TO  ZION. 

§  99.  Jahveh  is  more  faithful  than  a  mother.  He 
will  never  forget  Zion,  hut  will  restore  her  and  multiply 
her  children.  Re  will  make  hare  His  holy  arm,  and  redeem 
Jerusalem.  They  will  march  forth  from  Babylon,  a  holy 
people,  hearing  the  sacred  vessels,  JoJiveh  heing  at  once  their 
vanguard  and  rearguard.  Kings  and  queens  vnll  he  their 
foster-fathers  and  mothers.  The  watchmen  of  Zion  tell 
the  glad  tidings  of  the  advent,  and  the  wastes  of  Jerusalem 
break  forth  in  responsive  songs. 

The  third  section  of  the  prophecy  gives  the  complaint 
of  Zion  and  the  response  of  the  faithful  Jahveh,  im- 
mediately after  the  parallel  representation  of  the  servant 
of  Jahveh.  The  piece  is  a  hexameter  of  twenty  lines. 
"And  Zion  said,  Jahveh  hath  forsaken  me,  and  'Adonay  hath  for- 
gotten me. 
Can  a  woman  forget  her  suckling  child,  that  she  should  not  have 
compassion  on  the  son  of  her  womb  ? 

'  See  p.  84. 


382  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

Yea,  these  may  forget,  yet  will  not  I  forget  thee. 

Behold,  I  have  graven  thee  upon  the  palms  of  my  hands  ;  thy  walls 

are  continually  before  me. 
Thy  builders  ^  do  make  haste  ;  thy  destroyers  and  they  that  made 

thee  waste  shall  go  forth  of  thee. 
Lift  up  thine  eyes  round  about,  and  behold  :   all  these  do  gather 

themselves  together,  they  do  come  to  thee.^ 
As  I  live,  is  the  utterance  of  Jahveh,  thou  shalt  clothe  thee  with 

them  all  as  with  an  ornament. 
And  like  a  bride  thou  wilt  gird  thyself  with  thy  waste,  and  thy 

desolate  places  and  thy  land  that  hath  been  destroyed. 
Surely  now  shalt  thou  be  too  strait  for  the  inhabitants,  and  they 

that  swallowed  thee  up  will  be  far  away. 
The  children  of  thy  bereavement  will  yet  say  in  thine  ears, 
The  place  is  too  strait  for  me  ;  give  place  to  me  that  I  may  dwell. 
Then  wilt  thou  say  in  thine  heart.  Who  hath  borne  ^  me  these. 
Seeing  I  have  been  bereaved  of  my  children,  and  am  barren,  an 

exile,  and  wandering  to  and  fro,  and  who  hath  brought  up 

these  ? 
Behold,  I  was  left  alone  ;  these  where  were  they  ? 
Thus  saith  'Adonay  Jahveh, 
Behold,  I  will  lift  up  mine  hand  to  the  nations,  and  set  up  my  banner 

to  the  peoples : 
And  they  will  bring  thy  sons  in  their  bosom,  and  thy  daughters 

will  be  carried  upon  their  shoulders. 


1  'T'33  of  the  Massoretic  text  is  followed  by  the  R.V.  and  moat 

interpreters  in  the  rendering  "thy  sons."  But  the  L7vX.,  Vulgate, 
Targum,  Saadia  are  rightly  followed  by  Lowth,  Eichhoru  and 
others  in  reading  ri^y^.  So  the  margin  of  the  K.V.  Ewald  would 
insert  •q'-yn  after  "q^n,  and  thus  combine  the  two  readings. 

2  The  same  line  in  Isa.  Ix.  4  shows  where  the  line  must  be 
divided.  This  compels  us  to  connect  >D]X  'n,  etc.,  with  the  next 
line,  and  this  forces  us  to  begin  the  next  line  with  Cl'J'pn'i,  and 
connect  it  with  ver.  19.  The  ""D  is  then  out  of  place.  It  has  crept 
into  the  text  by  a  very  natural  assimilation  to  D73  ''3  and  nny  "3. 

^  l^""  '•JO-  The  R.V.  follows  Lowth,  Gesenius,  Ewald  and  others 
in  rendering,  "  Who  hath  begotten  me  these."  Bat  it  is  better,  with 
the  margin  of  the  R.V.,  Knobel,  Hitzig,  Delitzsch  and  Cheyne,  to 
render,  "  Who  hath  borne."  The  context  shows  that  the  mother  is 
surprised  at  the  number  of  her  children.  She  does  not  inquire  for 
the  father,  but  for  the  mother. 


THE  PROPHECY  OF  THE  RESTORATION  OF  ZION.        383 

And  kings  will  be  thy  foster-fathers,  and  their  queens  thy  nursing 

mothers  ; 
They  will  bow  down  to  thee  with  their  faces  to  the  earth,  and  lick 

the  dust  of  thy  feet ; 
And  thou  wilt  know  that  it  is  I,  Jahveh,  and  they  that  wait  for  me 

will  not  be  ashamed."  — Isa.  xlix.  14-23. 

This  piece  magnifies  the  faithfulness  of  Jahveh.  He 
is  the  gentle  Father  here,  as  He  is  the  gentle  shepherd 
in  the  introduction.  He  is  more  faithful  than  the 
mother  to  the  babe  at  her  breast.  He  will  never  forget 
Zion.  Her  walls  are  graven  on  His  palms  as  a  perpetual 
memorial.  The  old  Zion  is  in  ruins,  and  her  children 
are  scattered  in  exile.  But  the  real  Zion  is  the  ideal 
that  Jahveh  Himself  has  planned,  and  the  destruction 
of  the  old  Zion  was  in  order  to  the  erection  of  the  new 
Jerusalem.  The  builders  make  haste  to  their  work. 
The  desolaters  will  soon  be  expelled  from  its  ruins. 
Her  children  are  now  scattered,  and  few  in  number. 
But  they  will  be  gathered,  and  marvellously  increased. 
They  will  become  so  numerous  that  it  will  be  difficult 
to  find  place  for  them,  and  Zion  herself  will  be  unable 
to  understand  that  she  can  be  the  mother  of  such  a 
multitude. 

The  relation  of  Zion  to  the  nations  is  also  unfolded. 
They  will  obey  the  call  of  Jahveh,  and  take  part  in  her 
restoration.  They  will  become  the  servants  of  Zion,  and 
bring  her  children  in  their  bosoms  and  on  their  shoulders. 
Yes,  even  the  kings  and  queens  of  the  nations  will  delight 
in  doing  honour  to  the  children  of  Zion.  They  will 
become  foster-fathers  and  foster-mothers.  They  will 
bow  down  to  the  earth  in  obeisance,  and  lick  the  dust 
of  Zion's  feet.  Zion  will  be  exalted  high  above  all. 
This  exaltation  of  Zion  after  a  season  of  humiliation 
is  entirely  parallel  to  the  exaltation  of  the  servant  of 
Jahveh  after  a  season  of  obscurity  and  servitude,  as  set 
forth  in  that  part  of  the  trimeter  section  of  the  prophecy 


384  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

that  immediately  precedes.^  The  exaltation  of  Zion  over 
the  nations  is  not  conceived  as  a  triumph ;  hut  rather 
as  an  enthronement  to  such  a  height  of  excellence  that 
the  nations  will  render  willing  homage  and  service.  As 
in  the  previous  section  every  knee  bows  to  Jahveh,  and 
every  tongue  swears  allegiance  to  Him,  so  here  those 
who  worship  Jahveh  will  honour  Zion  likewise. 

This  section  has  as  its  chief  piece  a  beautiful  lyric  in 
three  great  strophes,  enclosed  by  an  introduction,  and 
a  conclusion  that  constitutes  the  refrain. 

The  introduction  is  an  appeal  to  Zion  to  remember 
the  ancient  promises,  and  a  renewal  of  the  assurance  that 
Jahveh  is  the  comforter  of  Zion. 

"  Hearken  to  me,  ye  that  pursue  righteousness,  that  seek  Jahveh : 
Look  unto  the  rock  whence  ye  were  hewn,  and  to  the  hole  of  the 

pit  whence  ye  were  digged. 
Look  unto  Abraham  your  father,  and  unto  Sarah  that  bare  you  : 
For  when  he  was  but  one  I  called  him,  that  I  might  bless  him  2  and 

multiply  him : 
For  Jahveh  doth   comfort  Zion  :  he   doth   comfort  all   her  waste 

places, 
And  make  her  wilderness  like  Eden,  and  her  desert  like  the  garden 

of  Jahveh : 
Joy  and  gladness  will  be  found  therein,  thanksgiving  and  the  sound 

of  melody. 
Attend  unto  me,  my  people  ;  and  give  ear  unto  me,  my  nation : 
For  instruction  will  go  forth  from  me,  and  I  will  make  my  judgment 

to  rest  for  a  light  of  the  peoples. 
My  righteousness  is  near,  my  salvation  is  gone  forth,  and  mine  arms 

will  judge  the  peoples  ; 
The  coasts  will  wait  for  me,  and  on  mine  arm  will  they  trust. 

1  xlix.  2,  7.     See  p.  353. 

^  insiDNI  as  pointed  by  the  Massoretes  is  a  change  of  tense. 

"We  may  follow  classic  usage  and  render  this  and  the  following 
verb  as  in  final  causes.  These  are  rendered  by  the  R.V.  and 
interpreters  generally  as  if  the  vavs  were  vavs  consecutive.  But 
it  is  better  to  think  of  the  blessing  of  Abram,  and  the  multipH- 
cation  of  his  seed  as  the  purpose  of  God  when  He  called  him  alone. 
See  Gen.  xii.  1,  2.     See  p.  84. 


THE  PROPHECY  OF  THE  RESTORATION  OF  ZION.       385 

Lift  up  your  eyes  to  the  heavens,  and  look  upon  the  earth  beneath : 
For  the  heavens  will  vanish  away  like  smoke,  and  the  earth  will 

wax  old  like  a  garment, 
And  they  that  dwell  therein  will  die  like  gnats,^ 
But  my  salvation  will  be  for  ever,  and  my  righteousness  will  not  be 

abolished. 
Hearken  unto  me,  ye  that  know  righteousness,  the  people  in  whose 

heart  is  my  instruction  ;  * 
Fear  ye  not  the  reproach  of  men,  neither  be  ye  dismayed  at  their 

revilings. 
For  the  moth  will  eat  them  up  like  a  garment,  and  the  worm  will 

eat  them  like  wool : 
But  my  righteousness  will  be  for  ever,  and  my  salvation  unto  all 

generations."  — Isa.  li.  1-8. 

Zion  is  comforted  by  a  reference  to  the  covenant  with 
Abraham.  God  called  him  alone,  and  yet  it  was  with 
the  design  of  blessing  him  with  a  numerous  posterity. 
Zion  has  nothing  to  fear  on  account  of  the  diminished 
number  of  her  children  and  the  sufferings  of  the  exile. 
The  Abrahamic  covenant  will  be  fulfilled.  Zion's  waste 
places  will  be  restored.  Her  wilderness  will  become  Hke 
the  garden  of  Jahveh  in  Eden,  and  joy  and  gladness  will 
be  found  therein.  This  piece  reminds  us  of  Jeremiah's 
book  of  comfort,^  and  of  Ezekiel's  promise  that  the  land 
would  become  like  the  garden  of  Eden.*  Both  of  these 
earlier  prophecies  are  presupposed.  The  promise  of 
Jahveh  is  sure.  The  earth  will  become  old  like  a 
garment,  and  the  heavens  vanish  as  smoke,  and  all  the 
inhabitants  of  the  world  will  die  like  gnats,  and  all  their 
persecutors   will   pass   away  as   garments   consumed  by 

^  p"lD3.  p  is  rendered  by  the  Versions  and  most  interpreters, 
"  so,  thus,  in  like  manner."  But  Lowth,  Ewald,  Gesenius,  Hitzig, 
Knobel  and  others  render  gnat.  It  is  only  found  here  in  the 
singular,  and  in  the  Talmud  it  assumes  the  feminine  form.  Hence 
Cheyne  follows  Weir  in  reading  D''J3. 

2  Compare  Jer.  xxxi.  33. 

2  Jer.  xxx.-xxxi.     See  p.  24G. 

*  Ezek.  xxxvi.  25-35.    See  p.  274. 

2  B 


386  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

moths.  There  is  indeed  to  be  a  new  world  in  place  of 
the  old.  But  the  righteousness  and  the  salvation  of 
Jahveh  will  abide  for  ever  to  all  generations  of  His 
people,  who  have  His  instruction  written  in  their  hearts. 
This  introduction  is  followed  by  the  three  great 
strophes  of  the  poem,  the  first  calling  upon  the  strong 
arm  of  Jahveh  to  awake  for  the  redemption  of  His 
people ;  the  second  calling  upon  Jerusalem  to  wake  up, 
for  Jahveh  will  take  from  her  the  cup  of  His  wrath  and 
give  it  to  her  oppressors  ;  the  third  calling  upon  Zion  to 
awake  and  put  on  her  garments  of  strength  and  beauty. 
The  poem  closes  with  the  heralds  proclaiming  the  advent. 

"How  beautiful  upon  the  mountains  are  the  feet  of  him  that 

bringeth  good  tidings,  that  pubHsheth  peace, 
That  bringeth  good  tidings  of  good,  that  pubHsheth  salvation  ;  that 

saith  unto  Zion,  thy  God  is  king. 
Hark  !  thy  watchmen  do  lift  up  the  voice  ;  together  they  sing : 
For  they  see  eye  to  eye,  when  Jahveh  returneth  to  Zion. 
Break  forth  into  joy,  sing  together,  ye  waste  places  of  Jerusalem : 
For  Jahveh  doth  comfort  his  people,  redeem  Jerusalem. 
Jahveh  doth  make  bare  his  holy  arm  in  the  eyes  of  all  the  nations ; 
And  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  see  the  salvation  of  our  God. 
Depart  ye  !  depart  ye  !  go  ye  out  from  thence,  touch  no  unclean 

thing ; 
Go  ye  out  of  the  midst  of  her  ;  purify  yourselves,  ye  that  bear  the 

vessels  of  Jahveh. 
For  ye  will  not  go  out  with  haste,  nor  go  by  flight : 
For  Jahveh  is  tlie  one  going  before  you  ;  and  the  God  of  Israel  the 

one  bringing  up  your  rear."  — Isa.  lii.  7-12. 

This  piece  is  dramatic  in  style,  and  in  this  respect 
also  resembles  the  introduction.  There,  we  saw  Zion  and 
Jerusalem  proclaiming  from  the  mountains  the  divine 
advent.  Here,  the  preachers  are  on  the  mountains,  and 
are  admired  by  those  who  hear  their  message  of  peace. 
They  are  heard  singing  with  joy,  and  the  waste  places  of 
Jerusalem  break  forth  into  a  glad,  responsive  song.  For 
the  holy  arm  of  Jahveh  has  been  displayed  before  all 


THE  PEOPHECY  OF  THE  EESTORATION  OF  ZION.       387 

nations.  The  holy  arm  of  this  passage  takes  the  place 
of  the  ruling  arm  of  the  introduction.^  The  people  are 
then  called  upon  to  depart  from  Babylon,  as  in  the 
previous  refrain.^  The  piece  concludes  with  a  new 
thought.  The  departure  from  Babylon  will  not  be  a 
flight,  as  at  the  exodus  from  Egypt,  but  like  a  band  of 
peaceful  worshippers,-  in  holy  garments,  bearing  the 
sacred  vessels  of  their  God.  As  at  the  exodus  from 
Egypt  in  the  pillar  of  cloud  and  fire,  Jahveh  is  at  once 
their  vanguard  and  their  rearguard,  protecting  them  on 
all  sides. 

The  fourth  section  of  the  prophecy  gives  a  companion 
piece  to  the  picture  of  the  exaltation  of  the  suffering 
servant  of  Ps.  lii.  1 3-liii.  in  the  exaltation  of  Zion  after  a 
brief  period  of  sufifering  under  the  divine  wrath,  in  a  con- 
dition of  widowhood  and  barrenness.  This  is  a  beautiful 
hexameter  poem  of  two  strophes  of  fifteen  lines  each. 

IV.  JAHVEH  THE  COMFORTER  OF  ZION. 

§  100.  Zion  has  heen  forsaken  for  a  short  time,  and 
mffered  affliction.  But  Jahveh  is  her  husband  and 
saviour.  He  is  faithful  to  her,  and  will  bestow  upon  her 
His  covenant  of  peace.  Re  will  restore  her  to  her  land, 
and  her  children  will  become  so  numerous  that  they  will 
breech  forth  on  every  side  and  take  possession  of  the  nations. 
Jerusalem  will  be  rebuilt  of  precious  stones.  All  her 
children  will  be  disciples  of  Jahveh,  and  enjoy  everlasting 
peace. 

L  "  Sing,  O  barren,  thou  that  didst  not  bear ;  break  forth  into 
singing,  and  cry  aloud,  thou  that  didst  not  travail  with 
child : 
For  more  are  the  children  of  the  desolate  than  the  children  of 
the  married,  saith  Jahveh. 

1  See  p.  375.  ^  See  p.  380. 


388  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

Enlarge  the  place  of  thy  tent,  and  let  them  stretch  out  the 

curtains  of  thine  habitations  : 
Spare  not,  lengthen  thy  cords  and  strengthen  thy  stakes. 
For  thou  wilt  break  forth  on  the  right  hand  and  on  the  left ; 
And  thy  seed  will  inherit  the  nations,  and  make  the  desolate 

cities  to  be  inhabited. 
Fear  not ;   for  thou  shalt  not  be  ashamed :  neither  be  thou 

confounded  ;  for  thou  shalt  not  be  put  to  shame  : 
For  thou  shalt  forget  the  shame  of  thy  youth,  and  shalt  not 

remember  the  reproach  of  thy  widowhood  any  more, 
For  thy  Maker  is  thine  husband  :  Jahveh  Sabaoth  his  name ; 
And  thy  Eedeemer  is  the  Holy  One  of  Israel ;  the  God  of  the 

whole  earth  is  He  called. 
For  as  a  woman  forsaken  and  grieved  in  spirit,  Jahveh  called  thee, 
And  a  wife  of  youth  when  she  is  rejected,  saith  thy  God  ; 
For  a  small  moment  have  I  forsaken  thee :   but  with  great 

compassions  will  I  gather  thee. 
In  a  gush '  of  wrath  I  hid  my  face  from  thee  for  a  moment : 
But  with  everlasting  mercy  I  have  compassion  on  thee,  saith 

Jahveh  thy  Redeemer. 

II.  For  this  is  as  the  days  of  Noah  ^  unto  me  ;  when  I  swore  that 

the  waters  of  Noah  should  not  flow  over  the  earth  ; 
So  have  I  sworn  that  I  will  not  be  wroth  with  thee,  nor  rebuke 

thee. 
For  the  mountains  will  depart,  and  the  hills  be  removed  ; 
But  my  mercies  will  not  depart  from  thee,  neither  will  the 

covenant  of  my  peace  be  removed, 
Saith  Jahveh,  that  hath  compassion  on  thee,  O  thou  afflicted, 

tost  with  tempest,  and  not  comforted.^ 

^  FjVJi'  is  only  found  here.  It  is  a  variation  of  i\\^^  of  Prov. 
xxvii.  4,  as  Gesenius,  Ewald,  Delitzsch,  Cheyne  and  others,  meaning 
overflow,  gush.  The  LXX.,  Vulgate,  Targum,  A.V.,  Lowth  and 
others  render  "  Httle,"  which  suits  the  context,  but  has  no  justifica- 
tion in  etymology. 

^  The  common  Massoretic  '»)0"'3  is  followed  by  the  R.V.  and  most 
interpreters.  But  the  Babylonian  codex  and  some  Palestinian 
codices  agree  with  the  Peshitto,  Vulgate,  Targum,  and  Saadia  in 
reading  '•^^  •'3.  The  LXX.  '•JDO  can  best  be  explained  as  a  corrup- 
tion of  >o"'D.  Matt.  xxiv.  37  also  favours  this  reading.  The  external 
evidence  for  ''D''  is  unusually  strong,  and  the  context  favours  it.  We 
do  not  hesitate  to  follow  it,  with  Lowth  and  Delitzsch. 

^  Tlie  rhythm  requires  that  we  should  disregard  the  Massoretic 
accents,  and  construct  the  line  as  we  have  given  it. 


THE  PROPHECY  OF  THE  RESTORATION  OF  ZION.       389 

Behold,  I  am  about  to  lay  thy  stones  with  kohl,^  and  thy  foun- 
dations with  sapphires, 

And  make  thy  pinnacles  rubies,  and  thy  gates  of  carbuncles, 
and  all  thy  borders  of  pleasant  stones. 

And  all  thy  children  will  be  disciples  of  Jahveh ;  and  great 
will  be  the  peace  of  thy  children,  in  righteousness  wilt  thou 
be  established  ; 

Thou  wilt  be  far  from  oppression  ;  for  thou  wilt  not  fear :  and 
from  terror  ;  for  it  will  not  come  near  thee. 

Behold,  they  may  gather  close  together,  but  not  by  me ;  who- 
soever shall  gather  together  against  thee  shall  fall  for  thy 
sake. 

Behold,  I  have  created  the  smith  that  bloweth  the  coals  in  the 
fire, 

And  that  bringeth  forth  an  instrument  for  his  work;  and  I 
have  created  the  waster  to  destroy. 

Any  weapon  that  is  formed  against  thee  shall  not  prosper : 

And  any  tongue  that  is  raised  against  thee  in  judgment  thou 
shalt  condemn. 

This  is  the  inheritance  of  the  servants  of  Jahveh,  and  their 
righteousness  is  of  me,  is  the  utterance  of  Jahveh." 

— Isa.  liv.  1-17. 

This  beautiful  poem  carries  on  the  thought  of  xlix. 
14-23,  and  combines  therewith  the  representations  of 
several  previous  prophets,  Hosea,  Zephaniah,  Jeremiah, 
and  Ezekiel.  The  two  contrasted  conditions  of  Zion  are 
set  forth  in  stronger  terms  than  in  the  previous  section 
of  our  prophet.  She  is  a  wife  of  youth,  who  has  been 
rejected  by  Jahveh  on  account  of  sin.  In  an  outburst  of 
wrath  He  gave  her  up,  and  she  has  suffered  the  reproach 
of  widowhood.  She  has  been  grieved  in  spirit,  has  been 
afflicted,  has  been  tossed  about  as  by  a  tempest,  and  has 
had  no  comfort.  This  rejected  wife  of  Jahveh  reminds 
us  of  the  same  idea  in  Hosea  and  Jeremiah.^  But  the 
humiliation  of  Zion  is  to  continue  only  for  a  brief  season. 

*  "jjlQ  is  the  kohl  or  stibium  with  which  Oriental  ladies  paint  their 
eyebrows  and  eyelids.     It  is  here  the  cement  of  the  precious  stones. 
2  See  pp.  168,  246. 


390  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

Jahveli  is  still  her  husband,  His  love  is  unquenchable, 
His  compassions  fail  not,  his  covenant  is  inviolable. 
The  time  has  come  for  her  restoration.  This  is  the  chief 
theme  of  the  poem.  The  restoration  is  compared  with 
the  days  of  Noah.  Then  the  wrath  of  God  destroyed 
the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  by  a  deluge,  and  only  Noah 
and  his  family  were  left ;  but  he  received  the  promise  that 
there  should  never  be  another  deluge.  So  when  Zion  is 
restored,  Jahveh  will  assure  her  with  an  oath  of  covenant 
that  He  will  never  be  angry  with  her  any  more,  and  will 
never  rebuke  her  again.  This  reference  to  the  Noachic 
covenant  reminds  us  of  Jeremiah.-^ 

The  restoration  is  also  accompanied  with  a  multipKca- 
tion  of  the  children  of  Zion  in  accordance  with  the 
ancient  promises.  This  is  presented  in  the  striking  con- 
trast between  the  married  and  the  desolate.  The  time 
of  her  marriage  Avas  a  time  of  fruitfulness  and  large 
increase  in  the  holy  land ;  but  in  her  exile  her  children 
have  been  slain  and  scattered,  and  she  has  become  deso- 
late. We  are  here  reminded  of  Each  el  w^eeping  for  her 
children.^  But  the  desolate  wife  will  again  enjoy  the 
love  of  her  husband,  and  her  children  will  be  much 
greater  than  ever  before,  so  great  that  there  will  not  be 
room  enough  for  them  in  the  holy  land,  and  they  will  break 
out  in  all  directions  and  take  possession  of  the  nations.* 
The  restoration  will  result  in  the  rebuilding  of  Jerusalem 
in  greater  beauty  and  magnificence  than  ever.  The  new 
Jerusalem  has  already  been  described  in  Jeremiah  and  in 
Ezekiel  as  greatly  enlarged  and  adorned  with  holiness 
and  tlie  divine  presence ;  *  but  this  passage  sets  forth  its 
wondrous  beauty.     Its  walls  and  gates  are  constructed 

1  Jer.  xxxiii.  14-22.     See  p.  245. 

2  Jer,  xxxi.  15,  16.     See  p.  251. 

«  Comijare  Isa.  xlix.  19-21.     See  p.  382. 

*  See  pp.  254  and  286. 


THE  PROPHECY  OF  THE  RESTORATION  OF  ZION.       391 

of  sapphires,  rubies,  carbuncles  and  all  kinds  of  precious 
stones ;  and  they  are  cemented  by  the  costly  stibium 
with  which  the  Oriental  ladies  beautify  their  eyelids  and 
eyelashes.  "  The  stones  of  its  walls  would  look  like  the 
eyes  of  a  woman  shining  forth  from  the  black  frame- 
work of  their  painted  lids,  i.e.  they  would  stand  out  in 
splendour  from  their  dark  ground."  ^ 

The  restoration  has  its  new  covenant  of  peace.  This 
reminds  us  of  Ezekiel.^  This  covenant  involves  security 
from  oppression  and  fear.  No  enemy  will  be  able  to 
harm  her  with  weapon  or  with  tongue.  She  will  be 
delivered  from  fear,  and  will  possess  her  inheritance  in 
righteousness,  and  her  children  will  be  the  disciples  of 
Jahveh,  will  be  under  His  divine  instruction  and  guidance, 
and  will  enjoy  great  peace.^  But  above  all,  the  tender 
compassion  and  everlasting  mercy  and  comfort  of  her 
husband  and  saviour  will  abide  with  her  for  ever.* 

V.   JAHVEH's  HOUSE  OF  PRAYER  FOR  ALL  NATIONS. 

§  101.  JS^ot  only  the  faithful  in  Israel,  hut  all  foreigners 
who  keep  the  covenant  and  the  Sahbath,  will  inherit  the 
holy  mountai7i,  for  Jahveh  dwells  with  the  humUe  and 
contrite,  and  His  house  will  become  a  house  of  'prayer  for 
all  nations.  The  righteous  will  enjoy  the  covenant  of  peace, 
hut  there  is  no  peace  for  the  vnched.  The  word  of  com- 
mand is  issued  to  prepare  the  highway  and  remove  the 
stumbling-blocks  out  of  the  way  of  the  returning  exiles. 

The  fourth  section  of  the  prophecy  gives  a  little  piece 
of  prediction  with  regard  to  the  share  of  foreigners  in  the 

1  See  Delitzsch,  Isaiah,  ii.  p.  349.  This  is  the  basis  of  the  de- 
scription of  the  new  Jerusalem  in  Rev.  xxi. 

2  Ezek.  xxxiv.  25,  xxxvii.  26.     See  pp.  272,  278. 
«  Compare  Zeph.  iii.  16,  17.     See  p.  224. 

*  Compare  Jer.  xxxi.  33, 34 ;  Ezek.  xxxvi.  25-35.   See  pp.  253,  274. 


392  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

blessings  of  the  Messianic  times.  The  eunuchs,  who 
were  not  admitted  to  a  share  in  the  institutions  of  the 
old  covenant,  and  the  foreigners  will  alike  be  welcomed 
to  the  new  Jerusalem  and  enjoy  its  privileges. 

"  And  tlie  foreigners  who  join  themselves  unto  Jahveh  to  minister 
to  him, 

And  to  love  the  name  of  Jahveh,  to  become  servants  unto  him, 

Every  one  keeping  the  Sabbath  from  polluting  it,  and  those  who 
are  firm  in  my  covenant, 

I  wiU  bring  them  unto  my  holy  mountain,  and  I  will  make  them 
rejoice  in  my  house  of  prayer ; 

Their  burnt-offerings  and  their  peace- oflFerings  will  be  for  accept- 
ance upon  mine  altar, 

For  my  house  will  be  proclaimed  a  house  of  prayer  for  all  peoples." 


This  passage  is  the  most  advanced  of  all  those  that  we 
have  met,  relating  to  the  share  of  the  nations  in  the 
redemption  of  Israel.  Isaiah  predicts  that  Egypt  will  serve 
Jahveh  with  peace-offerings,  vegetable-offerings  and  votive- 
offerings  ;  ^  and  in  Zephaniah  the  Cushites  bring  incense- 
offerings,  and  the  Libyans  vegetable-offerings.^  So  here 
foreigners  in  general  will  bring  burnt-offerings  and  peace- 
offerings  to  the  divine  altar  and  find  acceptance.  The 
temple  is  no  longer  a  merely  Jewish  temple,  it  has  become 
a  universal  temple.  As  such  it  is  more  than  a  place  of 
sacrifice,  it  is  a  place  of  prayer.  The  prophet  rises  above 
the  conception  of  Ezekiel  to  the  idea  of  a  universal 
religion.  The  sacrifices  are  still  here,  for  the  Old  Testa- 
ment point  of  view  cannot  yet  be  abandoned ;  but  the 
sacrifices  are  in  the  background.  As  the  qualifications 
for  participation  in  the  blessings  of  redemption  are  no 
longer  national,  but  covenant  -  keeping  and  Sabbath 
observance,  conditions  that  all  nations  might  fulfil ;  so 
the  most  significant  feature  of  the  new  worship  is  prayer, 
1  Isa.  xix.  21.     See  p.  207.  «  Zeph.  iii.  10.     See  p.  223. 


THE  PROPHECY  OF  THE  RESTORATION  OF  ZION.       393 


and  the  world-wide  name  of  the  temple  of  Jahveh  will 
be — Iwiise  of  yraycr  for  all  peoples. 

This  section  of  the  prophecy  closes  with  a  little  piece, 
and  a  refrain  which  is  in  accord  with  its  sublime  ideas. 

"  Have  I  not  been  silent/  even  a  long  time,  and  thou  fearest  me 

not? 
I  will  declare  thy  righteousness  and  thy  works, 
They  will  not  profit  thee.   When  thou  criest,  let  them  which  thou 

hast  gathered  deliver  thee  ; 
But  the  wind  will  take  them,  a  breath  will  carry  them  all  away ; 
But  he  that  putteth  his  trust  in  me  shall  possess  the  land,  and 

shall  inherit  my  holy  mountain. 
And  one  saith,^  Cast  ye  up,  cast  ye  up,  prepare  the  way, 
Take  up  the  stumbling-block  out  of  the  way  of  my  people. 
For  thus  saith  the  high  and  lofty  One,  that  inhabiteth  eternity, 

whose  name  is  holy ; 
I  dwell  in  the  high  and  holy  place,  with  him  also  that  is  of  a 

contrite  and  humble  spirit, 
To  revive  the  spirit  of  the  humble,  and  to  revive  the  heart  of  the 

contrite  ones. 
For  I  will  not  contend  for  ever,  neither  will  I  be  always  wroth ; 
For  the  spirit  should  fail  before  me,  and  the  persons  which  I  have 

made. 
For  the  iniquity  of  his  covetousness  was  I  wroth  and  smote  him, 

I  hid  my  face  and  was  wroth  ; 
When  he  went  on  turning  away  in  the  way  of  his  heart,  I  saw 

his  ways. 
Verily  I  will  heal  him  ;  I  will  lead  him  also,  and  restore  comforts 

to  him  and  to  his  mourners. 
Creator  of  the  fruit  of  the  lips  :  *  Peace, 
Peace,  to  him  that  is  far  off  and  to  him  that  is  near,'  saith  Jahveh, 

and  I  will  heal  him. 
But  the  wicked  are  like  the  sea  that  is  tost  up. 
For  it  cannot  rest,  and  its  waters  toss  up  mire  and  dirt. 
There  is  no  peace,  saith  my  God,  to  the  wicked." — Isa.  Ivii.  11-21. 

As  in  a  previous  section,  Jahveh  has  long  been  silent, 

1  This  begins  with  the  same  thought  and  the  same  verb,  n^n,  as 
xlii.  14. 

2  Compare  xl.  3.    The  I'Oii,)  reminds  us  of  -|Di<1  of  xl.  6. 


394  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

and  it  is  now  time  to  speak  and  act.  There  will  be  a 
distinction  between  the  righteous  and  the  wicked.  The 
idolaters  will  be  destroyed,  there  is  no  peace  for  the 
wicked.  But  they  that  trust  in  Jahveh  will  inherit  the 
holy  mountain.  They  that  are  humble  and  contrite  in 
heart  and  spirit  will  enjoy  the  divine  presence.  Those 
far  and  near  will  enjoy  the  peace  of  the  restoration.  The 
time  of  suffering  for  sin  is  over.  God  will  hide  His  face 
no  more,  He  will  have  compassion  and  will  comfort  the 
mourners  of  Zion,  and  will  heal  them.  A  voice  is  heard, 
commanding  to  prepare  the  way,  to  remove  the  stumbling- 
blocks,  for  Jahveh  is  about  to  lead  His  people  to  His 
holy  mountain. 

VI.    ZION  THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WOELD. 

The  idea  of  the  servant  of  Jahveh  reaches  its  culmina- 
tion in  Isa.  Ixi.  This  passage  is  enclosed  by  two  hexa- 
meter pieces,  in  w^hich  the  idea  of  the  restoration  of  Zion 
reaches  its  height.  The  former  of  these  is  a  hymn  of 
wondrous  beauty,  the  latter,  the  real  conclusion  of  the 
second  edition  of  the  prophecy. 

§  102.  The  advent  of  Jahveh  to  Zion  is  like  the  rising 
of  the  sun  that  illuminates  her  and  makes  her  a  light  to 
all  the  world.  Thither  the  nations  assemble  with  their 
treasures  to  do  homage  to  Zion  and  her  God.  The  city 
will  he  huilt  of  precious  metals.  Peace  and  righteousness 
will  be  its  rulers.  The  2^eo2ole  will  be  all  righteous,  and  the 
city  will  be  altogether  glorious. 

L  "  Arise,  sliine,  for  thy  light  is  come,  and  the  glory  of  Jahveh  is 
risen  upon  thee ; 
For  lo,  darkness  covereth  the  earth,  and  dense  darkness  the 

peoples. 
But  upon  thee  Jahveh  riseth  and  his  glory  upon  thee  appeareth, 


THE  PEOPHECY  OF  THE  RESTORATION  OF  ZION.       395 

And  nations  walk  in  thy  light,  and  kings  in  the  brightness  of 

thy  rising. 
Lift  up  round  about  thine  eyes  and  see  :  they  all  do  gather 

themselves  together,  they  do  come  to  thee  ;  ^ 
Thy  sons  from  afar  come,  and  thy  daughters  at  the  side  are 

carried.^ 
Then  wilt  thou  see  and   be  bright,^  and  thy  mind  will  be 

reverent  and  be  enlarged  ; 
For  the  abundance  of  the  sea  will  be  turned  unto  thee  ;  the 

wealth  of  nations  will  come  to  thee  ; 
The  multitude  of  camels  will  cover  thee,  the  young  camels  of 

Midian  and  Ephah,  all  of  them.* 
From  Sheba  will  they  come,  gold  and  frankincense  will  they 

bring,  and  the  praises  of  Jahveh  they  will  tell  in  glad 

tidings ; 
All  the  flocks  of  Kedar  will  gather  themselves  to  thee,  the 

rams  of  Nebaioth  will  minister  to  thee, 
They  will  ascend  for  acceptance  on  mine  altar,  and  the  house 

of  my  beauty  I  will  beautify. 

II.  Who  are  these  that  fly  like  a  cloud  and  like  doves  unto  their 

lattices  ? 
Surely  to  me  the  coasts  will  assemble,^  and  the  ships  of 

Tarshish  first, 
To  bring  thy  sons  from  afar,  their  silver  and  their  gold  with 

them, 
To  the  name  of  Jahveh  thy  God  and  to  the  Holy  One  of  Israel; 

for  he  doth  beautify  thee. 
And  foreigners  will  build  thy  walls,  and  their  kings  will 

minister  to  thee. 


^  Comp.  Isa.  xlix.  18,  where  the  line  is  identical  with  this  one. 

*  See  Isa.  xlix.  22. 

3  "inj="l1J,  to  shine,  be  bright,  is  only  found  here  and  in  Ps. 
xxxiv.  6. 

*  D^D  is  separated  by  the  accents  from  the  previous  line.  But 
attaching  it  there  the  verse  is  easily  divided  into  two  hexameters, 
otherwise  we  have  a  third  short  line. 

^  l^pi  is  usually  rendered,  ho^je  for,  expect,  wait ;  but  it  is  better 

to  follow  Gen.  i.  9  and  Jer.  iii.  17,  where  the  Niphal  is  used  for 
the  assemblage  of  waters  and  nations.  Thus  the  context  seems  to 
require  silpi,  with  Geiger  and  Luzzato. 


396  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

For  in  my  wrath  I  smote  thee,  but  in  my  favour  I  have  com- 
passion on  thee, 

And  thy  gates  will  be  open  continually,  day  and  night  they 
will  not  be  shut, 

For  bringing  unto  thee  the  wealth  of  nations  and  their  kings 
will  be  conducted.^ 

For  the  nation  and  the  kingdom  that  will  not  serve  thee  will 
perish, 

Yea,  the  nations  will  be  utterly  wasted.  ^ 

The  glory  of  Lebanon  will  come  unto  thee,  the  cypress,  plane, 
and  sherbin  tree  together. 

To  beautify  the  place  of  my  holiness,  and  the  place  of  my  feet 
I  will  glorify. 

III.  And  the  sons  of  thy  oppressors  will  go  unto  thee  to  submit 

themselves. 
And  all  who  despised  thee  will  prostrate  themselves  at  the 

soles  of  thy  feet, 
And  they  will  call  thee  the  city  of  Jahveh,  Zion  of  the  Holy 

One  of  Israel. 
Instead  of  being  forsaken,  and  hated,  and  without  a  traveller, 
I  will  make  thee  an  everlasting  excellency,  a  joy  of  generation 

and  generation  ; 
And  thou  wilt  suck  the  milk  of  nations,  and  the  breast  of 

kings  wilt  suck  ; 
And  wilt  know  that  I,  Jahveh,  am  thy  Saviour,  and  thy 

Redeemer,  the  Mighty  One  of  Jacob. 
Instead  of  brass  I  will  bring  gold,  and  instead  of  iron  I  will 

bring  silver. 
And  instead  of  wood  brass,  and  instead  of  stones  iron. 
And  I  will  make  peace  thy  magistracy,^  and  righteousness 

thine  exactors  ; 


^  D"'iin3  has  nominal  force  according  to  Knobel,  with  the  meaning 
guides— that  is,  the  kings  lead  the  nations  to  Jerusalem.  Most 
interpreters  think  of  the  kings  as  led  captive,  but  this  does  not  suit 
the  context  or  the  usual  meaning  of  the  word.  Lowth  and  Gesenius 
think  of  the  kings  as  conducted  by  a  large  train  of  attendants. 

2  This  seems  to  be  a  broken  line. 

^  imps  is  abstract,  meaning  oversight,  government.  It  is  taken 
by  the  R. V.,  after  many  interjireters,  as  for  the  concrete,  overseers,  as 
in  2  Chron.  xxiv.  11.  But  Ewald,  Delitzsch,  Cheyne  and  othera 
retain  the  abstract,  government,  magistracy.  DeUtzsch,  Nagelsbach 
and  Cheyne  rightly  think  that  peace  and  righteousness  are  personified 
and  constituted  the  rulers  of  the  new  Jerusalem. 


THE  PROPHECY  OF  THE  RESTORATION  OF  ZION.       397 

Violence  will  no  more  be  heard  in  thy  land,  oppression  and 

destruction  in  thy  boundaries,  .. 
But    thy  walls  will    be    called    'salvation,'    and  thy  gates 

'  praise.' 

lY.  The  sun  will  no  more  become  a  light  by  day,  or  for  brightness 

the  moon  shine  for  thee, 
But  Jahveh  will  become  thine  everlasting  light,  and  thy  God 

thy  beauty  ; 
Thy  sun  will  no  more  go  down,  and  thy  moon  will  not  with- 
draw itself, 
For  Jahveh  will  become  for  thee  an  everlasting  light,  and  the 

days  of  thy  mourning  will  be  ended. 
And  thy  people  will  be  all  of  them  righteous,  for  ever  they 

will  inherit  the  land. 
The  branch  of  my  planting,  the  work  of  my  hands  to  beautify 

myself. 
The  least  will  become  a  thousand,  and  the  smallest  a  strong 

nation : 
I,  Jahveh,  will  hasten  it  in  its  time."  — Isa.  Ix. 

This  song  is  the  gem  of  the  book.  Here  the  glory  of 
Zion  attains  its  height.  It  is  based  upon  the  previous 
passages,  especially  xlix.  14-23.  In  the  first  strophe 
Zion  is  called  upon  to  rise  and  let  her  light  shine  upon 
the  dark  places  of  the  earth,  that  the  nations  and  their 
kings  may  walk  in  her  light.  Jahveh  has  arisen  in  her 
as  the  sun  to  shine  forth  from  her  upon  aU  the  world. 
This  is  a  further  unfolding  of  the  conception  of  Jeremiah 
that  the  entire  city  will  become  the  throne  of  Jahveh 
and  be  as  sacred  as  the  holy  of  holies  and  the  ark  of 
the  covenant ;  ^  and  of  the  names  of  the  city,  "  Jahveh  is 
there,"  of  Ezekiel;  and  "Jahveh  is  our  righteousness," 
of  Jeremiah.^  Zion  is  then  called  upon  to  look  about 
and  see  her  children  brought  back  to  her  by  the  nations 
that  have  become  her  servants.^     Her  heart  is  cheered 


1  Jer.  iii.  14-18,  xxxi.  40.     See  pp.  242,  254. 

2  Jer.  xxxiii.  16  ;  Ezek.  xlviii.  35.     See  pp.  244  and  290. 
8  Comp.  Isa.  xlix.  18,  22.     See  p.  382. 


398  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

and  brightened  as  she  beholds  the  wondrous  spectacle. 
They  not  only  bring  her  children  to  her,  they  bring  their 
wealth  with  them,  wealth  of  flocks  and  herds  and  camels, 
gold  and  frankincense,  all  the  riches  of  the  sea  and  the 
land,  to  enrich  Zion ;  and  above  all,  they  tell  the  glad 
tidings  of  the  praise  of  Jahveli  which  has  spread  over  the 
world  as  the  light  of  the  sun. 

The  second  strophe  again  calls  attention  to  the 
approaching  multitudes  by  a  question.  They  come  like 
a  cloud  of  doves  flying  home  to  their  cotes.  The  distant 
coasts  appear,  with  the  ships  of  Tarshish  leading  the  way 
on  the  sea  with  their  snow-white  sails.  These  ships 
bring  her  children  to  Zion  laden  with  gold  and  silver. 
The  foreigners  now  take  part  in  the  building  of  the  new 
Jerusalem,  and  the  kings  of  the  nations  serve  her.  Her 
gates  remain  open  day  and  night  that  the  crowding 
multitudes  may  enter  the  city  with  their  treasures.  The 
nations  and  kingdoms  that  refuse  their  service  will  be 
destroyed.  The  precious  timber  of  Lebanon  will  be 
brought  in  to  beautify  the  holy  places,  as  it  had  been 
used  in  the  erection  of  the  ancient  temple. 

The  third  strophe  briefly  contrasts  the  state  of 
humiliation  with  the  state  of  exaltation.  Her  days  of 
oppression  and  despisement  are  over.  She  now  sees  the 
sons  of  her  oppressors,  and  all  who  despised  her,  lying 
prostrate  at  the  soles  of  her  feet,^  recognising  her  as  the 
city  of  Jahveh,  the  Zion  of  the  Holy  One  of  Israel. 
Zion  has  been  forsaken,  hated,  and  with  no  one  to  visit 
her  ruins  even  as  a  traveller,  but  now  she  has  become 
the  joy  of  the  generations,  an  everlasting  excellency,  and 
will  be  nourished  by  the  best  of  the  nations.  As  in  the 
previous  section  kings  and  queens  were  to  be  her  foster- 
fathers  and  mothers,  so  here  she  is  to  suckle  at  the  breast 
of  the  nations  and  their  monarchs,  and  be  sustained  by 
1  Comp.  Isa.  xlix.  22.     See  p.  383. 


THE  PROPHECY  OF  THE  RESTORATION  OF  ZION.       399 

their  riches/  The  days  of  her  poverty,  when  iron,  and 
Iwass,  and  stones  were  her  portion,  have  past.  She  is 
now  to  have  gold  and  silver  as  well.  In  the  former 
times  she  has  suffered  from  oppression  and  destruction, 
but  now  these  will  no  more  be  heard  of  in  her  boundaries. 
Peace  and  righteousness  are  appointed  as  her  magistrates. 
This  is  a  further  unfolding  of  the  covenant  of  peace  of 
the  previous  section,  where  peace  was  to  be  the  portion 
of  her  children  and  she  was  to  be  shielded  from  every 
evn.^  And  so  the  walls  of  Zion  are  no  more  to  be  of 
stones ;  even  the  precious  stones  of  the  previous  section 
are  no  more  thought  of ;  the  walls  are  called  "  salvation," 
and  the  gates  "  praise."  * 

The  last  strophe  of  this  wonderful  poem  goes  back 
upon  the  thought  with  which  it  began.  Jahveh  is  the 
sun  and  the  moon,  the  everlasting  light  and  beauty  of 
Zion.  She  no  longer  needs  the  light  of  sun  or  moon. 
Her  people  will  be  all  righteous,  the  planting  of  Jahveh ; 
and  the  least  of  them  will  be  as  strong  as  a  thousand, 
and  the  smallest  of  them  as  a  strong  nation.  This  is  an 
unfolding  of  the  blessings  of  the  Mosaic  codes  which  are 
now  to  be  realized  to  the  fuU.^  This  marvellous  picture 
of  the  glory  of  Zion  is  taken  up  into  the  representation 
of  the  new  Jerusalem  in  the  great  Apocalypse  of  the 
New  Testament.^ 

The  climax  of  the  glory  of  Zion  has  been  reached  in 
the  piece  just  considered.  This  is  followed  in  the  second 
edition  of  the  poem  by  the  trimeter  poem  in  which  the 
idea  of  the  servant  of  Jahveh  attains  its  climax.     The 


1  Isa.  xlix.  23.     See  p.  383.  «  Isa.  liv.  13-17.     See  p.  389. 

8  Isa.  liv.  11,  12.     See  p.  389. 

*  This  reminds  us  of  the  salvation  that  was  made  the  walls  and 
bulwarks  of  Zion  in  the  great  apocalypse,  Isa.  xxiv.-xxvii.  See 
Isa.  xxvi.  1,  p.  300. 

^  Comp.  Deut.  xxxii.  30  ;  Lev.  xxvi.  8.     See  pp.  116,  117. 

«  See  Eev.  xxi.  22-27,  xxii.  5. 


400  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECT. 

whole  is  then  concluded  with  a  hexameter  piece  of  thirty 
lines  which  is  the  counterpart  of  the  introduction  to  the 
whole  prophecy,  and  resumes  the  principal  thread  of 
thought  in  the  intermediate  representations  of  the  restora- 
tion of  Zion. 

§  103.  Zion  has  been  named  "  Forsaken  "  and  "  Desolate!' 
hut  she  is  to  receive  the  neio  names,  "  Married  "  and  "  My 
delight  is  in  thee."  Jahveh  vnll  rejoice  over  her  as  His 
bride,  and  will  make  her  His  croivn  of  glory.  Jahveh  will 
not  he  silent  any  longer.  The  watchmen  on  the  walls 
cannot  he  silent.  The  advent  is  at  hand.  The  heralds  are 
crying,  "  Prepare  the  way."  The  'proclamation  has  gone 
forth  to  the  ends  of  the  earth,  "  Salvation  cometh." 

L  "  For  Zion's  sake  will  I  not  be  silent,  and  for  Jerusalem's  sake 

I  will  not  be  quiet, 
Until  the  righteousness  thereof  go  forth  as  brightness,   and 

the  salvation  thereof  as  a  torch  that  burneth. 
And  the  nations  will  see  thy  righteousness,  and  all  kings  thy 

glory: 
And  thou  shalt  be  called  by  a  new  name,  which  the  mouth  of 

Jahveh  will  name. 
And  thou  shalt  be  a  crown  of  glory  in  the  hand  of  Jahveh, 
And  a  royal  diadem  in  the  hand  of  thy  God. 
Thou  shalt  no  more  be  termed  '  Forsaken;' 
Neither  will  thy  land  any  more  be  termed  '  Desolate : ' 
But  thou  shalt  be  called  '  My  delight  is  in  thee,'  and  thy  land 

'  Married,' 
For  Jahveh  doth  delight  in  thee,  and  thy  land  will  be  married. 
For  as  a  young  man  marrieth  a  virgin,  so  will  thy  great 

builder  ^  marry  thee  ; 
And  as  the  bridegroom  rejoiceth  over  the  bride,  so  will  thy  God 

rejoice  over  thee. 

^  "Tj^iB  of  the  Massoretic  text,  although  followed  by  the  Versions 
and  interpretei^  generally,  does  not  give  an  intelligible  sense.  It  is 
best,  witli  Lowth,  to  point  XV^  as  in  xlix.  17,  and  render,  "  thy  great 
builder."  This  is  demanded  by  the  context.  It  is  God  alone  who 
marrieth  Zion.     There  is  no  sense  in  her  sons  marrying  her. 


THE  PROPHECY  OF  THE  RESTORATION  OF  ZION.       401 

11.  Upon  thy  walls,  Jerusalem,  I  have  appointed  watchmen, 
All  day  aud  all  night  continually  they  are  not  silent. 
Ye  that  remind  Jahveli,  let  there  be  no  rest  to  you, 
And  give  no  rest  to  him  mitil  he  establish. 
And  until  he  make  Jerusalem  a  praise  in  the  earth. 
Jahveh  hath  sworn  by  his  right  hand  and  by  the  arm  of  his 

strength, 
'  I  will  not  give  thy  corn  any  more  as  food  for  thine  enemies, 
And  the  foreigners  will  not  drink  thy  new  wine  with  which 

thou  hast  toiled  ; ' 
For  those  that  have  garnered  it  will  eat  it,  and  praise  Jahveh, 
And  those  that  have  gathered  it  will  drink  it  in  my  holy  court. 

III.  Go  through,  go  through  the  gates  ;  prepare  ^  ye  the  way  of  the 

people ; 
Cast  up,  cast  up  the  highway  ;  gather  out  the  stones  ;  * 
Lift  up  an  ensign  over  the  peoples. 

Behold,  Jahveh  hath  proclaimed  unto  the  end  of  the  earth, 
Say  ye  to  the  daughter  of  Zion,  Behold,  thy  salvation  cometh  ;  * 
Behold,  his  wage  is  with  him,  and  his  recompense  before  him. 
And  they  will  call  them,  '  The  holy  people,  the  redeemed  of 

Jahveh  ; ' 
And  thou  shalt  be  called  '  Sought  out,'  '  A  city  not  forsaken.'  " 

— Isa.  Ixii. 

This  piece  opens  with  the  same  expression  of  impatience 
on  the  part  of  Jahveh  that  we  have  seen  in  two  previous 
pieces.^  The  advent  is  at  hand.  The  salvation  of  Zion 
will  go  forth  as  a  flaming  torch.  All  nations  will  see 
her  righteousness  and  glory.  The  old  names  suited  to 
her  state  of  humiliation,  "  Forsaken  "  and  "  Desolate,"  are 
to  be  put  away.  These  were  the  names  that  Zion 
thought  appropriate  to  her  when  Jahveh  began  to  comfort 
her.^  But  those  times  are  past.  She  is  to  be  a  diadem 
and  a  glorious  crown  in  the  hand  of  Jahveh,  and  new 
names  are  to  be  given  suited  to  her  state  of  glory.  She 
is  to  be  called  "  My  delight  is  in  thee  "  and  "  Married." 

^  Comp.  Isa.  xl.  3.       ^  Comp.  Isa.  Ivii.  14.       ^  Comp.  Isa.  xl.  10. 
*  Isa.  xlii.  14,  Ivii.  11.     See  pp.  377  and  393. 
«  Isa.  xlix.  14.    See  p.  381. 

2  C 


402  MESSIANIC  PR0PHEC5Y. 

The  forsaken  wife  is  to  be  taken  back  and  remarried,  and 
Jaliveh  her  great  builder  will  rejoice  over  her  as  his 
bride.  Thus  the  prophet  sums  up  all  those  previous 
predictions  of  the  remarriage  of  Zion  that  we  have  seen 
in  Hosea,^  and  especially  in  Zephaniah,^  and  the  previous 
section  of  this  prophecy.^ 

The  second  strophe  brings  into  view  the  watchmen  on 
the  walls  of  Jerusalem  impatiently  pleading  with  Jahveh 
night  and  day  to  accomplish  His  promises.  This  is 
similar  in  style  to  the  watchmen  of  Isa.  lii.  8,*  singing 
the  advent  song.  The  last  strophe  renews  the  call  of  the 
refrains  to  pass  through  the  gates  of  Babylon  and  enter 
upon  the  highway  to  Zion.  The  same  voice  issues  the 
command  to  prepare  the  way  for  the  people  by  removing 
the  stones.  We  then  have  a  concluding  proclamation 
which  is  a  renewal  of  the  introduction  and  a  summary  of 
the  theme  of  the  book.  Salvation  cometh.  Jahveh  is  at 
hand  with  His  recompense  and  wage  suited  to  Zion  and 
her  enemies.  Zion  will  be  universally  recognised  as 
"  the  holy  people,"  "  the  redeemed  of  Jahveh."  The  city 
that  has  been  forsaken  will  be  recognised  as  the  one  that 
is  not  forsaken,  but  has  been  sought  out  by  Jahveh  and 
restored. 

VII.    THE  NEW  JERUSALEM,  THE  NEW  HEAVENS  AND  NEW 
EARTH. 

The  prophecy  of  the  great  unknown  was  finally  issued 
with  an  appendix  embracing  chaps.  Ixiii.-lxvi.  This  is 
composed  of  one  little  piece  of  trimeter  poetry  of  an 
early  date,  already  considered  in  an  appropriate  place,^ 
and   two   larger  pieces  of    longer  rhythm.      The  earlier 

1  Hos.  ii.  19,  20.     See  p.  171.  '  Zeph.  iii.  17.     See  p.  224. 

8  Isa.  liv.  5.     See  p.  388.  *  See  p.  386. 

«  Isa.  liiii.  1-6.    See  p.  313. 


THE  PROPHECY  OF  THE  RESTORATION  OF  ZION.       403 

of  these,  chaps.  Ixiii.  7-lxiv.,  is  a  lamentation  and  suppli- 
cation that  contains  no  Messianic  prediction.  The  latter, 
chaps.  Ixv.-lxvi.,  is  apocalyptic  in  character,  resembling 
those  apocalypses  that  we  have  considered  at  the  opening 
of  this  chapter.  The  judgment  is  here  a  discrimination 
between  the  righteous  and  the  wicked  without  regard  to 
nationality. 

§  104.  The  divine  advent  will  result  in  the  creation  of 
new  heavens,  a  new  earth,  and  a  new  Jerusalem,  There 
will  he  no  more  weeping  or  premature  death,  hut  the  people 
will  rejoice  with  great  joy.  Jahveh  will  extend  peace  to 
Zioh  like  a  river.  The  nations  will  take  part  in  the 
restoration,  and  will  furnish  their  share  in  the  new  priest- 
hood and  offerings.  There  will  he  a  universal  assemUage 
hefore  Jahveh  on  every  new  moon  and  sahhath.  But  the 
wicked  will  not  share  in  these  hlessings.  They  will  he 
visited  ivith  fire  and  sword.  Outside  the  holy  city  their 
carcases  will  rot  and  hum  in  the  place  of  refuse, 

"  For,  behold,  I  am  about  to  create  new  heavens  and  a  new  earth  ; 
And  the  former  things  will  not  be  remembered,  nor  come  to 

mind. 
But  rejoice  ye  and  exult  for  ever  in  that  which  I  am  about  to 

create  ; 
For,  behold,  I  am  about  to  create  Jerusalem  an  exultation,  and 

her  people  a  joy. 
And  I  will  exult  in  Jerusalem,  and  rejoice  in  my  people  ; 
And  the  sound  of  weeping  will  be  no  more  heard  in  her,  nor  tho 

sound  of  crying, 
There  will  be  no  more  thence  an  infant  of  days, 
Nor  an  old  man  that  will  not  fill  up  his  days ; 
For  the  child  will  die  an  hundred  years  old, 
But  the  sinner  an  hundred  years  old  will  be  accursed. 

And  they  will  build  houses,  and  inhabit  them ; 
And  plant  vineyards,  and  eat  their  fruit ; 
They  will  not  build,  and  another  inhabit ; 


404  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

They  will  not  plant  and  another  eat ;  ^ 

For  as  the  days  of  a  tree  will  be  the  days  of  my  people, 

And  my  chosen  will  consume  the  work  of  their  hands. 

They  will  not  labour  in  vain, 

And  they  will  not  bring  forth  for  sudden  destruction, 

For  they  are  the  seed  of  the  blessed  of  Jahveh,  and  their  offspring 

with  them. 
And  it  will  come  to  pass  that,  before  they  call,  I  will  answer ; 
And  while  they  are  yet  speaking,  I  will  hear. 
The  wolf  and  the  lamb  will  feed  together, 
And  the  lion  will  eat  straw  like  the  ox  ; ' 
But  dust  will  be  the  serpent's  food. 
They  will  n.ot  hurt,  and  they  will  not  destroy,^ 
In  all  my  holy  mountain,  saith  Jahveh."  * 

"  Be  glad  with  Jerusalem,  and  exult  for  her,  all  that  love  her ; 

Rejoice  for  joy  with  her,  all  that  mourn  over  her ; 

That  ye  may  suck  and  be  satisfied  with  the  breasts  of  her  consola- 
tions ; 

That  ye  may  milk  out,  and  be  delighted  with  the  breast  ^  of  her 
glory. 

For  thus  saith  Jahveh, 

Behold,  I  am  about  to  extend  peace  to  her  like  a  river,  and  the 
glory  of  the  nations  like  an  overflowing  stream, 

And  ye  shall  suck  thereof  ;  ye  shall  be  borne  upon  the  side,  and 
shall  be  dandled  upon  the  knees. ^ 

As  one  whom  his  mother  comf orteth,  so  will  I  comfort  you ;  and 
ye  shall  be  comforted  in  Jerusalem, 


1  Compare  Amos  ix.  14.  | 

2  This  line  is  identical  with  Isa.  xi.  7c.  \ 
^  This  and  the  previous  line  are  identical  with  Isa.  xi.  9a,  h.      ^  j 

*  This  i)assage  may  be  constructed  as  a  hexameter  strophe,  with  | 
seven  hexameter  lines,  two  pentameter  lines,  and  one  shortened  tri-  ' 
meter  line.     But  there  is  but  one  line  that  must  be  a  hexameter, 

and  this  is  followed  by  the  two  pentameters.     The  most  natural  , 

arrangement  of  the  other  lines  is  to  arrange  them  as  trimeters  after  j 

the  example  of  Isa.  xi.  and  Amos  ix.,  upon  which  they  are  based.  j 

In  this  case  the  prophet  is  using  extracts  from  older  prophecies  ; 

throughout.      This  section  could   be  removed  from   the    prophecy  ; 

without  mamng  it  in  any  way.     See  Knobel,  Jesaia,  p.  509.  i 

«  VI     Compai^e  Pss.  1.  11,  Ixxx.  14.     See  pp.  231  and  238.  , 

*  Compare  Isa.  xlix,  22,  Ix.  4.  | 


THE  PROPHECY  OF  THE  EESTORATION  OF  ZION.       405 

And  ye  shall  see  it,  and  your  heart  will  rejoice,  and  your  bones 

will  flourish  like  the  tender  grass  ; 
And  the  hand  of  Jahveh  will  be  known  toward  his  servants,  and 

he  will  have  indignation  against  his  enemies. 

For,  behold,  Jahveh  will  come  with  fire,  and  his  chariots  will  be 

like  the  whirlwind ; 
To  render  his  anger  with  fury,  and  his  rebuke  with  flames  of  fire. 
For  by  fire  will  Jahveh  plead,  and  by  his  sword,  with  all  flesh ; 

and  the  slain  of  Jahveh  will  be  many. 
They  that  sanctify  themselves   and   purify  themselves  for   the 

gardens,  entering  one  after  another  ^  the  innermost  place ; 
The  eaters  of  swine's  flesh  and  the  abomination  and  the  mouse, 

will  come  to  an  end  together,  is  the  utterance  of  Jahveh. 
Verily,  I,^  their  works  and  their  thoughts  am  going  to  gather 

with  all  nations  and  tongues  ; 
And  they  will  come  and  see  my  glory,  and  I  will  set  a  sign 

among  them, 
And  I  will  send  such  as  escape  of  them  unto  the  nations,  Tarshish, 

Pul,  and  Lud, 
Those  that  draw  the  bow,  Tubal  and  Javan,  the  coasts  afar  off 

that  have  not  heard  my  fame : 
Those  who  have  seen  my  glory  will  declare  my  glory  among  the 

nations. 

And  they  will  bring  with  all  your  brethren,  out  of  all  the  nations, 
a  minchah  imto  Jahveh, 

1  The  Massoretic  text  reads  in  the  Kethibh  nnj^  "in&5,  and  in  the 
Qeri  nrii^  in5<,  either  after  one  (masc.)  or  one  (fern.),  thinking  of  a 
god  or  goddess.  The  LXX.  omits  these  words.  The  Peshitto, 
Targum,  Symmachus  and  Theodotion  read  nriN  IflX  one  after 
another.  Interpreters  are  in  doubt.  Cheyne  regards  the  text  as 
hopelessly  corrupt.  Ewald  would  read  -in5<  IHi^,  "  behind,  behind," 
"  in  the  innermost  house,"  in  imitation  of  the  language  of  those  who 
desire  to  celebrate  the  mysteries.  Knobel  and  Delitzsch  adhere  to 
the  Kethibh,  and  regard  the  nns  as  the  hierophant  who  leads  the 
people  in  the  mysteries.     Lowth  takes  Tnx  as  the  name  of  a  deity. 

^  "'33  SI  of  the  Massoretic  text  stands  without  a  verb.  Some 
supply  ])T  after  the  Peshitto,  Targum,  Saadia.  Delitzsch  and 
Cheyne  supply  TpDX,  I  will  punish,  nj^a  also  stands  alone.  This 
is  usually  supposed  to  represent  n^n  nS3.  Compare  Isa.  xxvii.  6 
and  Jer.  li.  33.  But  it  is  easier  to  follow  the  LXX.,  Vulgate,  and 
Peshitto,  and  read  5^3  instead  of  ni<3.  This  will  then  supply 
••aiK  with  its  verb.  The  objects  would  then  be  in  emphatic 
position  between  the  pronoun  and  its  verb. 


406  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

Upon  horses,  and  in  chariots,  and  in  litters,  and  upon  mules, 

and  upon  swift  beasts, 
To  my  holy  mountain  Jerusalem,  saith  Jahveh  ; 
As  the  children  of  Israel  bring  their  minchah  in  a  clean  vessel 

into  the  house  of  Jahveh. 
And  of  them  also  will  I  take  for  priests,  for  Levites,  saith  Jahveh. 
For  as  the  new  heavens  and  the  new  earth,  which  I  am  about 

to  make, 
Are  about  to  remain  before  me,  is  the  utterance  of  Jahveh,  so 

will  your  seed  and  your  name  remain. 
And  it  will  come  to  pass  that,  from  one  new  moon  to  another, 

and  from  one  sabbath  to  another, 
Will  all  flesh  come  to  worship  before  me,  saith  Jahveh, 
And  they  will  go  forth  and  look  upon  the  carcases  of  the  men 

that  have  transgressed  against  me  ; 
For  their  worm  will  not  die,  neither  will  their  fire  be  quenched  ; 
And  they  will  be  an  abhorring  unto  all  flesh." 

— Isa.  Ixv.  17-lxvi. 

This  apocalypse  is  in  some  respects  more  remarkable 
than  any  of  its  predecessors.  The  prophet  sees  new 
heavens,  a  new  earth,  and  a  new  Jerusalem  taking  the 
place  of  the  old ;  and  these  are  created  by  the  divine 
advent,  as  the  present  world  was  created  out  of  primeval 
chaos.  On  this  new  earth  and  in  this  new  Jerusalem 
there  is  universal  joy.  Weeping  and  crying  no  more 
appear,  and  the  years  of  life  are  greatly  lengthened. 
This  reminds  us  of  the  great  apocalypse  with  which  the 
chapter  begins.  There  we  see  the  earth  staggering  like 
a  drunkard,  swinging  like  a  hammock,  and  then  broken 
up  and  removed,  and  its  great  city  reduced  to  chaos ;  but 
no  mention  of  new  heavens  and  a  new  earth.  Here  the 
destruction  of  the  old  is  presupposed  by  the  creation  of 
the  new.  There  we  noted  the  wiping  away  of  tears  and 
the  abolition  of  death.  This  seems  to  be  stronGjer  than 
the  representation  of  this  passage,  that  the  years  of  life 
would  be  lengthened.^  The  author  now  inserts  a  number 
^  See  especially  Isa.  xxiv.  10,  19,  20,  xxv.  7,  8.     See  pp.  296  seq. 


THE  PROPHECY  OF  THE  RESTORATION  OF  ZION.       40 7 

of  passages  from  older  prophets  to  enlarge  the  picture  of 
felicity.  These  are  in  the  style  of  Amos  and  Isaiah, 
representing  the  fruitfulness  and  security  of  the  land,  the 
prolonged  life  of  the  people,  the  success  of  all  their 
labours,  their  enjoyment  of  the  blessing  of  Jahveh,  His 
ready  response  to  their  desires,  and  the  share  of  the 
animals  in  this  universal  peace. 

The  prophecy  calls  upon  all  who  love  Jerusalem  to 
rejoice  with  her.  She  is  the  nursling  child  of  Jahveh, 
and  He  nourishes  her  with  comfort  and  glory.  Her 
peace  is  like  an  everflowing  river,  and  her  glory  like  an 
overflowing  stream.  The  theme  of  the  second  edition 
of  the  book,  that  Jahveh  is  the  comforter  of  Zion,  is  here 
resumed.  The  prophecy  then  turns  to  the  side  of  the 
judgment.  Jahveh  comes  with  fire  and  sword  to  destroy 
the  idolaters,  and  reveals  His  glory  to  the  nations.  From 
all  parts  of  the  earth  they  recognise  Him  and  take  part 
in  the  restoration  of  the  children  of  Zion.  They  bring 
them  in  horses,  in  chariots,  in  litters,  and  upon  mules 
and  swift  animals  to  the  holy  mountain.  They  conduct 
them  as  if  they  were  princes  of  the  earth.  This  is  a 
further  unfolding  of  the  representation  of  Isa.  xlix.  and 
Ix.,  that  they  would  be  carried  in  the  arms  as  children 
by  maid  -  servants  and  man  -  servants,  and  brought  in 
ships  from  the  most  distant  coasts.^  The  nations  will 
also  bring  their  offerings,  as  the  Israelites  bring  them,  in 
clean  vessels,  and  Jahveh  will  select  priests  from  among 
them  to  represent  them,  to  share  with  the  Levites  in  the 
holy  priesthood.  This  is  another  phase  of  the  prediction 
that  the  new  temple  will  become  a  house  of  prayer  for 
all  nations.^  This  participation  of  the  nations  in  the 
priesthood  and  worship  of  Jahveh  involves  a  transforma- 
tion of  the  times  and  mode  of  worship.     As  Israel  used 

1  See  pp.  161  seq.,  201  seq.  *  See  pp.  382  and  395. 

«  Isa.  Ivi.  6,  7.     See  p.  392. 


408  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

to  meet  in  great  congregations  in  the  courts  of  the 
tabernacle  and  the  temple  on  the  holy  days,  so  in  these 
Messianic  times  all  flesh  are  to  assemble  in  great  congre- 
gations every  sabbath  and  every  new  moon  to  worship 
Jahveh. 

The  prophecy  concludes  with  a  dreadful  contrast. 
Within  the  city,  the  righteous  are  assembled  from  all 
mankind  and  engaged  in  the  worship  of  God.  Without 
the  city,  in  the  place  of  refuse,  the  wicked  are  a  mass  of 
rotting,  burning  carcases,  an  abhorrence  to  all  mankind. 
On  the  one  side  is  the  new  world  of  the  redeemed,  on 
the  other  the  Gehenna  of  the  lost,  the  final  abodes  of  the 
righteous  and  the  wicked  after  the  advent  of  Jahveh  to 
judgment.  Here  the  Messianic  idea  opens  up  new  paths 
for  the  doctrine  of  the  future  life.  This  apocalypse  gives 
the  later  Jewish  theology  its  doctrine  of  Gehenna,  and 
the  ISTew  Testament  its  doctrine  of  hell.  It  also 
furnishes  to  the  apostles  their  doctrine  of  the  new  world. 
The  sublime  representations  of  the  ]^ew  Testament  Apoca- 
lypse are  drawn  chiefly  from  this  source.-^ 

This  wondrous  prophecy,  as  it  has  expanded  in  three 
successive  editions,  finds  its  only  appropriate  historical 
situation  in  the  exile.  Looking  forward  from  thence  it 
builds  on  all  the  previous  prophets,  and  transcends  them 
all  in  the  bulk  and  grandeur  of  its  representations.  It 
is  related  to  the  Book  of  Ezekiel  as  the  inner  to  the 
outer ;  as  the  essential  spirit  and  substance  to  its  formal 
envelope.  It  seems  to  us  that  Ezekiel  could  never  have 
written  his  apocalypse  if  he  had  seen  or  heard  of  the 
doctrines  of  Isa.  xl.-lxvi.  It  is  indeed  not  at  all  strange 
that  some  Jewish  Eabbins  and  some  modern  scholars 
have  doubted  the  inspiration  of  Ezekiel,  who  differs  so 
greatly  from  the  Mosaic  codes  on  the  one  side  and  from 
Isa.  xL-lxvi.  on  the  other.  The  difficulty  is  resolved 
^  See  2  Pet.  iii.  and  Rev.  xxi. 


THE  PEOPHECY  OF  THE  RESTORATION  OF  ZION.       409 

only  when  we  see  that  Ezekiel  stands  on  a  lower  stage 
in  the  development  of  the  Messianic  idea  than  the  great 
unknown,  who  had  Ezekiel  and  Jeremiah,  the  exile  and 
the  body  of  ancient  prophecy  behind  him;  and  thus 
could  grasp  the  whole  doctrine  of  his  predecessors,  and 
rise  from  it  to  greater  heights  of  prediction. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

DANIEL. 

Daniel  is  generally  ranked  as  the  fourth  of  the  greater 
Hebrew  prophets ;  but  this  is  not  the  ancient  Jewish  view 
of  the  book,  for  Daniel  does  not  appear  among  the 
books  of  the  prophets  in  the  Jewish  Canon,  but  among 
the  miscellaneous  writings.  And  this  is  manifestly 
correct.  Daniel  was  not  a  prophet  by  office,  but  a  sage. 
His  predictions  are  in  visions  or  the  interpretation  of 
dreams,  like  those  of  Joseph  in  Egypt ;  and  they  have 
been  preserved  in  a  book  which  is  essentially  a  collection 
of  marvels  of  prediction  and  of  event. 

Little  is  known  of  Daniel  outside  of  this  book.  He 
is  therein  represented  as  a  captive  of  noble  birth  in  the 
third  year  of  Jehoiakim,^  and  as  a  famous  sage  during 
the  period  extending  from  Nebuchadnezzar  to  Cyrus. 

The  Book  of  Daniel  is  marked  by  a  singular  feature 
in  which  it  resembles  the  Book  of  Ezra.  It  is  written 
in  two  different  languages,  Hebrew  and  Aramaic.  The 
Aramaic  section  extends  through  chaps,  ii.  5— vii.  The 
book  is  ordinarily  divided  at  chap,  vii.,  where  the 
Aramaic  section  closes.  But  this  is  an  unnatural  division. 
Eor  chaps.  L— ii.  o  are  also  in  Hebrew,  and  the  topical 
division  of  the  book  is  at  chap.  vL,  making  two  equal 
parts,  twelve  chapters  in  all.  Chaps,  i.-vi.  give  the 
marvellous  events  in  the  experience  of  Daniel  and  his 
three  associates,  including  his  interpretation  of  the  dreams 

1  Dan.  i.  1-6. 
ilO 


y 


DANIEL.  411 

of  Nebuchadnezzar  and  of  the  handwriting  on  the  wall 
that  heralded  the  downfall  of  Babylon. 

These  six  chapters  are  in  strict  chronological  order, 
beginning  with  events  in  the  time  of  Nebuchadnezzar 
(i.-iv.),  then  giving  the  story  of  Belshazzar's  feast  (v.), 
and  the  delivery  from  the  lion's  den  in  the  reign  of 
Darius  (vi.),  and  closing  with  the  statement,  "so  this 
Daniel  prospered  in  the  reign  of  Darius  and  in  the  reign 
of  Cyrus  the  Persian."^  It  would  seem  that  we  have 
here  a  complete  work,  a  compilation  of  stories  by  a  late 
hand,  in  which  Daniel  and  his  associates  are  the  heroes 
of  the  exile. 

The  second  part  is  another  collection  in  chronological 
order,  beginning  with  a  dream  in  the  first  year  of 
Belshazzar  (vii.),  then  giving  a  vision  in  the  third  year 
of  Belshazzar  (viii.) ;  a  vision  in  the  first  year  of 
Darius  (ix.),  and  concluding  with  a  vision  in  the  third 
year  of  Cyrus  (x.-xii.).  The  first  of  these  visions  is  in 
Aramaic,  the  others  in  late  Hebrew.  The  second  part  is 
therefore  a  collection  of  the  visions  and  dreams  of  Daniel. 
Sometimes  Daniel  is  represented  as  speaking  in  the  first 
person,  and  then  he  is  spoken  of  in  the  third  person,  as 
in  the  first  part.  The  book  makes  no  claim  to  be  the 
production  of  Daniel  himself.  It  is  a  compilation  of 
stories  relating  to  Daniel  and  visions  of  Daniel,  and  was 
edited  by  a  later  writer  probably  in  the  Maccabean  age. 
We  are  not  surprised,  therefore,  that  the  collection  was 
enlarged  by  apocryphal  insertions  and  additions  in  the 
Septuagint  version. 

If  we  deny  the  traditional  theory  that  Daniel  was  the 
author  of  the  book  which  bears  his  name  as  the  hero  of 
its  pages,  it  is  not  necessary  to  deny  the  historicity  of  its 
miracles  and  predictions.  We  have  simply  to  inquire 
whether  the  book  is  sufficiently  credible  to  assure  us  of 
1  Dan.  vi.  28. 


412  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

their  trutL  The  internal  character  of  the  book  is  such 
as  to  prove  its  divine  inspiration.  There  is  nothing  in 
the  book  save  the  supernatural  element  that  makes  it 
objectable  to  any  one.  Its  spirit  and  tone  are  high,  and 
indeed  sublime.  We  should  not  be  disturbed  if  its 
stories  were  fiction,  composed  with  the  design  to  point 
the  lesson  of  fidelity  to  God,  or  if  the  predictions  were 
pseudepigraphic,  because  we  can  see  no  valid  objection 
to  these  literary  styles  in  the  Bible,  and  indeed  we  have 
an  example  of  such  fiction  in  Esther,  and  of  such  a 
pseudepigraph  in  Ecclesiastes.^  But  we  are  not  convinced 
that  Daniel  has  the  features  of  these  types  of  Hebrew 
literature.  There  are  strong  reasons  in  favour  of  tliese 
views,  but  there  are  also  strong  reasons  against  them. 
And  it  seems  to  us  that  the  latter  are  prevalent.  There 
are  historical  difficulties  in  connection  with  the  stories 
which  are  not  easy  to  explain.  But  subsequent  dis- 
coveries may  give  us  better  information.  There  is  but 
one  difficulty  in  connection  with  the  predictions,  and  that 
is  a  difficulty  which  can  be  removed  in  accordance  witli 
the  principles  of  predictive  prophecy,  as  we  shall  see. 
We  hold  therefore  that  the  predictions  were  delivered  by 
the  Daniel  of  the  exile,  but  that  they  were  written  down 
in  their  present  form  by  a  Maccabean  editor,  and  we 
should  not  be  surprised  to  find  traces  of  his  editorial 
work  in  the  historical  setting  and  in  the  colouring  of  the 
predictions.^ 

I.    THE  KINGDOM  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN. 

§  105.  Daniel  represents  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  in 
conflict  with  the  kingdom  of  God.  These  are  symbolized  hy 
one  great  and  terrible  image  with  four  parts  diminishing 

1  See  my  Biblical  Study,  pp.  224,  232. 
*  See  Orelli  in  I.e.  p.  454  seq. 


DANIEL.  413 

mccessively  in  glory  and  hecoming  more  heterogeneous  in 
their  elements ;  and  also  hy  four  leasts  rising  successively 
from  the  sea,  increasing  in  the  extent  of  their  dominion 
through  the  symbolical  numbers  3,  4  and  10.      Out  of  the 
la^t    beast    a   little    horn    arises,   an    anti-Messiah.       The 
kingdom  of  God  is  symbolized  by  a  little  stone  ivhich  is  cut 
out  of  the  mountain  without  hands.     It  breaks  in  pieces 
the  image,  and  grows  to  a  great  mountain  filling  the  earth. 
The  ^oTiofjmm  comes  enthroned  on  the  clouds  to  destroy 
the  anti-Messiah  and  the  beasts,  and  to  assume  universal  I 
dominion.      The  Ancient  of  days  also  comes  to  judgment  \ 
on  a  throne  of  flames,  from  vjhich  issues  a  river  of  fire.         ; 
The  Book  of  Daniel  gives  two  symbolical  representa-  • 
tions  of  the  destruction  of  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  by 
the  kingdom  of  the  Messiah.     The  one  of  these  is  in  a 
dream  of   Nebuchadnezzar  in  chap,  ii.,  the   other  in   a 
vision  of  Daniel  in  chap.  vii. 

"  Thou,  O  king,  sawest,  and  behold  one^  great  image.  This  image, 
■which  was  mighty,  and  whose  brightness  was  excellent,  stood  before 
thee  ;  and  the  aspect  thereof  was  terrible.  As  for  this  image,  his 
head  was  of  fine  gold,  his  breast  and  his  arms  of  silver,  his  belly 
and  his  thighs  of  brass,  his  legs  of  iron,  his  feet  part  of  iron  and 
part  of  clay.  Thou  sawest  till  that  a  stone  was  cut  out  without 
hands,  which  smote  the  image  upon  his  feet  that  were  of  iron  and 
clay,  and  brake  them  in  pieces.  Then  was  the  iron,  the  clay,  the 
brass,  the  silver  and  the  gold  broken  in  pieces  together,  and  became 
like  the  chatf  of  the  summer  threshing-floors  ;  and  the  wind  carried 
them  away,  that  no  place  was  found  for  them  :  and  the  stone  that 
smote  the  image  became  a  great  mountain,  and  filled  the  whole 
earth.  This  is  the  dream  ;  and  we  will  tell  the  interpretation 
thereof  before  the  king.  Thou,  O  king,  art  king  of  kings,  unto 
whom  the  God  of  heaven  hath  given  the  kingdom,  the  power,  and 


1  nn  is  used  for  the  indefinite  article,  according  to  Winer,  Gesenius, 
E.y.  and  most  interpreters  ;  but  it  is  better  to  give  it  its  proper 
force  as  a  numeral,  with  Kliefoth  and  Keil.  The  image  was  one. 
This  needed  to  be  emphasized  at  the  beginning,  on  account  of  the 
subsequent  description  of  its  parts. 


414  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

the  strength,  and  the  glory ;  and  wheresoever  the  children  of  men 
dwell,  the  beasts  of  the  field  and  the  fowls  of  the  heaven  hath  he 
given  into  thine  hand,  and  hath  made  thee  to  rule  over  them  all : 
thou  art  the  head  of  gold.  And  after  thee  will  arise  another 
kingdom  inferior  to  thee ;  and  another  third  kingdom  of  brass 
which  will  bear  rule  over  all  the  earth.  And  the  fourth  kingdom 
will  be  strong  as  iron  :  forasmuch  as  iron  breaketh  in  pieces  and 
suljdueth  all  things,  and  as  iron  that  crusheth  all  these  will  it  break 
in  pieces  and  crush.  And  whereas  thou  sawest  the  feet  and  toes, 
part  of  potter's  clay  and  part  of  iron,  it  will  be  a  divided  kingdom  ; 
although  there  may  be  in  it  of  the  strength  of  the  iron,  forasmuch 
as  thou  sawest  the  iron  mixed  with  miry  clay.  And  as  the  toes  of 
the  feet  were  part  of  iron  and  part  of  clay,  so  the  kingdom  will  be 
partly  strong  and  partly  broken.  And  whereas  thou  sawest  the 
iron  mixed  with  miry  clay,  they  will  mingle  themselves  with  the 
seed  of  men  ;  but  they  will  not  cleave  one  to  another,  even  as  iron 
doth  not  mingle  with  clay.  And  in  the  days  of  those  kings  the 
God  of  heaven  will  set  up  a  kingdom,  which  will  never  be  destroyed, 
nor  will  the  sovereignty  thereof  be  left  to  another  people  ;  but  it 
will  break  in  pieces  and  consume  all  these  kingdoms,  and  it  will 
stand  for  ever.  Forasmuch  as  thou  sawest  that  a  stone  was  cut  out 
of  the  mountain  without  hands,  and  that  it  brake  in  pieces  the  iron, 
the  brass,  the  clay,  the  silver  and  the  gold  ;  the  great  God  hath 
made  known  to  the  king  what  will  come  to  pass  hereafter ;  and  the 
dream  is  certain,  and  the  interpretation  thereof  sure." 

—Dan.  ii.  31-45. 

The  symbolism  of  the  dream  of  Nebuchadnezzar  is 
entirely  original  in  Daniel.  There  is  nothing  to  corre- 
spond with  it  in  the  previous  predictions,  not  even  in 
Ezekiel,  the  master  of  symbolic  prophecy.  The  artificial 
image,  rich,  costly  and  elaborate,  but  nevertheless  com- 
posed of  heterogeneous  materials,  is  a  very  suitable 
symbol  of  the  kingdoms  of  the  nations.  The  living  stone 
rolling  down  from  the  mountain,  growing  as  it  descends 
in  strength  and  in  power,  is  a  simple  but  appropriate 
symbol  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  But  this  symbol  does 
not  stand  alone.  It  has  its  mate  in  a  vision  of  Daniel 
in  chap.  vii.  The  kingdoms  are  there  represented  by 
four  wild  beasts  coming  up  from  the  sea  one  after  another. 


DANIEL. 


415 


Over  against  them  the  dream  presents  the  Son  of  man 
and  the  Ancient  of  Days.  These  two  great  symbols  are 
best  considered  side  by  side,  because  they  are  parallel 
representations  of  the  same  Messianic  ideal. 

"Daniel  spake,   and  said,  I  saw  in  my  vision   by  night,  and, 
behold,  the  four  winds  of  the  heaven  brake  forth  upon  the  great 
sea.     And  four  great  beasts  came  up  from  the  sea,  diverse  one  from 
another.     The  first  was  like  a  lion,  and  had  eagle's  wings :  I  beheld 
till  the  wings  thereof  were  plucked,  and  it  was  lifted  up  from  the 
earth,  and  made  to  stand  upon  two  feet  as  a  man,  and  a  man's  heart 
was  given  to  it.     And  behold  another  beast,  a  second,  like  to  a 
bear,  and  it  was  raised  up  on  one  side,  and  three  ribs  were  in  his 
mouth  between  his  teeth  :  and  they  said  thug  unto  it,  arise,  devour 
much  flesh.     After  this  I  beheld,  and  lo  another,  like  a  leopard, 
which  had  upon  the  back  of  it  four  wings  of  a  bird ;  the  beast  had 
also  four  heads ;  and  dominion  was  given  to  it.     After  this  I  saw 
in  the  night  visions,  and  behold  a  fourth  beast,  terrible  and  power- 
ful, and  strong  exceedingly  ;  and  it  had  great  iron  teeth  ;  it  devoured 
and  brake  in  pieces,  and  stamped  the  residue  with  his  feet :  and 
it  was  diverse  from  all  the  beasts  that  were  before  it ;  and  it  had 
ten  horns.     I  considered   the  horns,  and,  behold,  there  came  up 
among  them  another  horn,  a  little  one,  before  which  three  of  the 
first  horns  were  plucked  up  by  the  roots  :  and,  behold,  in  this  horn 
were  eyes  like  the  eyes  of  a  man,  and  a  mouth  speaking  great 
things.     I  beheld  till  thrones  were  placed,  and  one  that  was  ancient 
of  days  did  sit  ;  his  raiment  was  white  as  snow,  and  the  hair  of  his 
head  like  pure  wool  ;  his  throne  was  fiery  flames,  and  the  wheels 
thereof  burning  fire.     A  fiery  stream  issued  and  came  forth  from 
before  him  :    thousand   thousands  ministered   unto  him,  and  ten 
thousand  times  ten  thousand  stood  before  him  ;  the  judgment  was 
set,  and  the  books  were  opened.     I  beheld  at  that  time  because  of 
the  voice  of  the  great  words  which  the  horn  spake ;  I  beheld  even 
till  the  beast  was  slain,  and  his  body  destroyed,  and  he  was  given 
to  be  burned  with  tire.     And  as  for  the  rest  of  the  beasts,  their 
dominion  was  taken  away  :  yet  their  lives  were  prolonged  for  a 
season  and  a  time.     I  saw  in  the  night  visions,  and,  behold,  there 
came  with  the  clouds  of  heaven,  one  like  unto  a  Son  of  man,  and 
he  came  even  to  the  Ancient  of  Days,  and  they  brought  him  near 
before  him.     And  there  was  given  him  dominion,  and  glory,  and  a 
kingdom,  that  all  the  peoples,  nations,  and  languages  should  serve 
him  :  his  dominion  is  an  everlasting  dominion,  which  will  not  pass 


416  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

away,  and  his  kingdom  that  which  will  not  be  destroyed.  As  for 
me,  Daniel,  my  spirit  was  grieved  in  the  midst  of  my  body,  and 
the  visions  of  my  head  troubled  me.  I  came  near  unto  one  of 
them  that  stood  by,  and  asked  him  the  truth  concerning  all  this. 
So  he  told  me,  and  made  me  know  the  interpretation  of  the  things. 
These  great  beasts,  which  are  four,  are  four  kings,  which  will  arise 
out  of  the  earth.  But  the  saints  of  the  Most  High  shall  receive  the 
kingdom,  and  possess  the  kingdom  for  ever,  even  for  ever  and  ever. 
Then  I  desired  to  know  the  truth  concerning  the  fourth  beast, 
which  was  diverse  from  all  of  them,  exceeding  terrible,  whose  teeth 
•were  of  iron  and  his  nails  of  brass  ;  which  devoured,  brake  in 
pieces,  and  stamped  the  residue  with  his  feet ;  and  concerning  the 
ten  horns  that  were  on  his  head,  and  the  other  horn  which  came 
up,  and  before  which  three  fell  ;  even  that  horn  that  had  eyes,  and 
a  mouth  that  spake  great  things,  whose  look  was  more  stout  than 
his  fellows.  I  beheld,  and  the  same  horn  made  war  with  the  saints, 
and  prevailed  against  them,  until  the  Ancient  of  Days  came,  and 
judgment  was  given  to  the  saints  of  the  Most  High  ;  and  the  time 
came  that  the  saints  possessed  the  kingdom.  Thus  he  said,  the 
fourth  beast  will  be  a  fourth  kingdom  upon  earth,  which  will  be 
diverse  from  all  the  kingdoms  and  will  devour  the  whole  earth, 
and  will  tread  it  down,  and  break  it  in  pieces.  And  as  for  the  ten 
horns,  out  of  this  kingdom  will  ten  kings  arise  :  and  another  will 
arise  after  them  ;  and  he  will  be  diverse  from  the  former,  and  he 
wiU  put  down  three  kings.  And  he  will  speak  words  against  the 
Most  High,  and  will  wear  out  the  saints  of  the  Most  High  ;  and 
he  will  think  to  change  the  times  and  the  law  ;  and  they  will  be 
given  into  his  hand  until  a  time  and  times  and  half  a  time.  But 
the  judgment  will  sit,  and  they  will  take  away  his  dominion,  to 
consume  and  to  destroy  it  unto  the  end.  And  the  kingdom  and 
the  dominion,  and  the  greatness  of  the  kingdoms  under  the  whole 
heaven,  will  be  given  to  the  people  of  the  saints  of  the  Most  High  : 
His  kingdom  is  an  everlasting  kingdom,  and  all  dominions  will 
serve  and  obey  Him."  — Dan.  vii.  2-27. 

The  visions  of  Daniel  agree  in  representing  the 
kingdoms  of  this  world  over  against  the  kingdom  of  the 
Messiah.  These  kingdoms  are  four  in  number,  united 
in  chap.  ii.  in  one  great  and  terrible  image,  in  chap.  vii. 
separated  in  four  successive  wild  beasts.  These  four 
kingdoms  are  variously  interpreted  as  to  their  reference 


DANIEL.  417 

and  fulfilment.  Some  seek  to  limit  the  range  of  the 
prophetic  symbols  by  the  Greek  Empire,  and  explain 
either  the  Median  and  Persian  kingdoms  as  separate/ 
and  so  go  against  their  constant  association  in  the 
Scriptures,  or  else  distinguish  between  the  Greek  Empire 
of  Alexander  and  that  of  his  successors,  which  is  no 
less  unnatural.^  The  common  view  is  that  Eome  is  the 
fourth  kingdom,  as  the  one  most  naturally  fulfilling  all 
the  conditions  of  the  symbolism.  The  chief  difficulties 
in  this  theory  are,  (1)  the  Eoman  Empire  had  not  yet 
arisen  even  in  the  most  distant  horizon  of  the  prophecy, 
and  it  is  against  the  analogy  of  prophecy  to  transcend 
its  horizon;^  and  (2)  that  the  little  horn  of  chap.  viii. 
is  supposed  to  be  identical  with  the  little  horn  of  chap. 
vii.  It  seems  to  us  that  interpreters  have  generally 
erred  in  overlooking  the  essential  symbolical  character 
of  the  prophecy.  If  the  image  and  the  beasts  are 
symbols,  so  also  are  the  numbers.*  The  number  four  is 
usually  symbolical  of  the  wide  extent  of  a  thing.  It 
indicates  here  the  wide  extent  or  compass  of  the  kingdoms 
rising  up  against  the  holy  people,  and  subjecting  them 
as  it  were  from  the  four  quarters  of  the  earth.  That 
this  is  the  true  conception  we  see  from  the  analysis  of 
the  successive  kingdoms  into  other  symbolical  members. 

The  head  of  gold  and  the  lion  correspond.  These 
represent  the  Chaldean  Empire,  in  accordance  with  the 
interpretation  of  the  prophet.  The  breast  and  arms  of 
silver,  and  the  bear,  with  three  ribs  in  his  mouth,  repre- 
sent the  next  kingdom  that  would  arise,  which  historically 
was  the  Medo-Persian.  The  three  ribs  are  generally 
referred  to  Egypt,  Babylon  and  Lydia  as  the  conquered 

1  So  Ephraim  Syrus,  Bleek,  Kayser,  De  Wette,  Hitzig,  Delitzsch, 
Kranichfeld. 

2  Grotius  and  Kosenmiiller. 

8  gee  p.  56.  *  See  pp.  53  and  57. 

2  D 


418  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

kingdoms ;  but  the  number  is  rather  symbolical,  and  as 
the  simplest  number  of  completeness  represents  a  com- 
plete number  of  kingdoms  that  would  be  absorbed  by 
that  empire,  the  full  number  allotted  it.  The  belly  and 
thighs  of  brass,  and  the  leopard  with  four  heads  and 
four  wings,  represent  another  great  empire  which  suits 
very  well  historically  the  Greek  dominion  of  Alexander 
and  his  successors.  The  four  heads  and  four  wings  are 
generally  referred  to  the  four  kingdoms  of  the  successors 
of  Alexander;  but  they  rather  indicate  the  wide  extent 
of  that  kingdom,  its  comprehensiveness  and  world-wide 
supremacy.  ThQ  legs  of  iron,  and  feet  of  clay  and  iron 
mixed,  and  the  terrible  beast  with  ten  horns,  represent 
the  final  empire,  which  historically  suits  the  Eoman. 
The  ten  horns  are  referred  to  successive  forms  of  it,  or 
the  monarchs  ruling  over  it,  or  the  ten  kingdoms 
into  which  it  resolves  itself ;  but  really  the  number 
ten,  as  the  number  of  the  highest  completeness, 
represents  the  dominion  as  world-wide  and  thus  em- 
bracing a  complete  number  of  petty  kings  or  kingdoms 
of  diverse  nationalities,  in  accordance  with  the  mixture 
of  materials  in  that  part  of  the  image  representing 
it.  Thus,  whilst  the  successive  kingdoms  increase 
in  comprehensiveness,  as  represented  by  the  numbers 
three,  four  and  ten,  they  diminish  in  unity  and  intrinsic 
worth  and  glory.  Out  of  the  fourth  and  last  kingdom 
springs  up  the  little  horn,  having  the  eyes  of  a  man, 
speaking  great  things,  and  making  war  with  the  saints, 
until  the  appearance  of  the  Ancient  of  Days.  This 
little  horn  seems  to  be  a  small  rebellious  power  that 
overcomes  a  definite  number  of  other  horns,  or  to  be  a 
section  of  the  empire  complete  in  itself.  It  becomes 
proud,  defiant  and  oppressive  of  the  saints.  This  horn 
is  by  the  description  individualized,  so  that  it  presents 
the   appearance   of    a  definite  person.     It  is  a  concen- 


DANIEL.  419 

tration  of  power  and  oppression  in  an  individual,  in  the 
climax  or  culmination  of  the  period  of  oppression  previous 
to  the  deliverance.  It  is  an  anti-Messiah,  or  an  anti- 
christ. 

The  little  horn  of  chap.  vii.  is  usually  interpreted  as 
the  same  as  the  little  horn  of  chap.  viii.  But  it  seems 
to  us  that  the  two  are  different  in  conception.  The  one 
is  associated  with  the  third  kingdom,  the  other  with  the 
fourth  kingdom,  so  that  the  one  is  a  forerunner  of  the 
other.  This  little  horn  is  the  chief  difficulty  in  the 
interpretation.  It  suits  so  closely  Antiochus  Epiphanes, 
that  one  is  tempted  to  find  in  him  the  type  of  the  anti- 
Messiah  of  the  prediction.  And  yet  every  other  feature 
of  the  prediction  has  its  basis  in  the  history  of  the 
exile.  The  difficulties  have  not  been  entirely  removed. 
The  great  majority  of  recent  critics  urge  tliis  as  a  strong 
reason  for  the  origin  of  the  prediction  in  the  Maccabean 
age,  and  insist  that  it  is  a  pseudepigraph.  It  seems  to 
us,  however,  that  interpreters  have  not  sufficiently  esti- 
mated the  analogy  of  other  predictive  terms.  We  have 
seen  that  the  terms  seed,  son  and  servant  have  unfolded 
in  the  hands  of  the  prophets  from  generic  terms  to 
personal  designations  of  the  Messiah.  It  is  not  unnatural, 
therefore,  it  is  rather  in  accordance  with  the  analogy  of 
prophecy,  that  the  hostile  kingdoms  should  not  only 
increase  in  comprehension  or  extension,  but  also  increase 
in  intensity  or  in  intension,  and  we  might  reasonably 
expect  that  a  great  hostile  monarch — an  anti-Messiah — • 
would  precede  the  advent  of  the  Messiah  Himself. 

The  sufferings  of  the  people  of  God  reach  their  climax 
under  the  oppression  of  the  anti-Messiah.  He  persecutes 
them  in  the  most  sacred  institutions  of  their  religion. 
But  his  time  is  very  limited.  It  is  measured  by  the 
prophetic  three  times  and  a  half,  which  is  half  a  week 
of  prophetic  time,  a  very  short  interval,  for  God  will  cut 


420  MESSIANIC  PKOPHECY. 

it  short.  He  will  come  in  an  advent  of  judgment  to 
destroy  the  oppressor  and  to  save  His  people. 

The  stone  cut  out  of  the  mountain  without  hands,  that 
grows  to  be  a  mountain  filling  the  whole  earth,  and  that 
breaks  in  pieces  all  the  kingdoms,  is  the  kingdom  of  the 
Messiah.  The  symbol  is  enormous,  but  it  is  similar  to 
the  exaltation  of  the  temple  mount  in  Isaiah  and  Micah,^ 
the  marvellous  growth  of  the  vine  in  Ps.  Ixxx.,^  and  the 
cedar  twig  in  Ezekiel.®  This  stone  has  as  its  parallel 
the  Son  of  man,  who  would  accordingly  seem  to  represent 
likewise  the  kingdom  of  the  Messiah  over  against  the 
wild  beasts ;  but  in  this  passage  the  Son  of  man  is 
brought  into  contrast,  not  so  much  with  the  wild  beasts 
as  with  the  little  horn,  and  if  that  be  an  hidividual  this 
must  also  be  an  individual,  and  therefore  the  Messiah 
Himself.  This  Son  of  man  comes  enthroned  on  the 
clouds  of  heaven  to  the  Ancient  of  Days,  and  receives  the 
everlasting  dominion.  The  advent  of  the  Ancient  of 
Days  is  the  advent  of  God,  enthroned  on  a  throne  of 
flames  of  fire,  with  streams  of  fire  flowing  forth  from  it. 
These  are  flames  of  wrath  and  judgment.  They  are  the 
reverse  of  the  river  of  grace  in  other  representations  of 
prophecy.*  The  books  of  judgment  are  opened,  and  judg- 
ment is  pronounced.  The  advent  is  therefore  both  on 
the  part  of  God  and  of  the  Messiah  an  advent  to  judgment, 
and  therefore  a  second  advent  from  the  point  of  view  of 
the  New  Testament. 

This  judgment  differs  from  all  previous  representations 
in  the  appearance  of  the  divine  records  or  book  of  judg- 
ment, upon  the  basis  of    which   the  judgment   is  pro- 


*  Isa.  ii.  2  ;  Micah  iv.  1.     See  p.  181. 
a  Ps.  Ixxx.  10-12.     See  p.  228. 

8  Ezek.  xvii.  22-24.     See  p.  269. 

*  Joel  iv.  18  ;  Ps.  xlvi.  5 ;  Isa.  xxxiii.  21  ;  Ezek.  xlvii.  6-12  j 
pp.  158,  212  214,  and  290. 


DANIEL.  421 

nounced,  and  also  of  the  river  of  fire  into  which  the 
enemies  of  the  kingdom  are  cast.  This  is  another  form 
of  the  flames  of  Gehenna  that  we  have  seen  in  Isa.  Ixvi./ 
and  is  the  basis  of  the  judgment-scene  of  the  Apocalypse 
of  the  New  Testament.'^ 


n.   THE  LAST  TIMES. 

§  106.  Daniel  predicts  that  seventy  sacred  year-weehs  will 
elapse  from  the  decree  to  rebuild  Jerusalem  until  the  end. 
The  last  week  is  resolved  into  days.  In  the  middle  of  this 
last  year-week  there  will  be  intense  affliction.  The  Messiah 
will  be  cut  off,  the  worship  brought  to  an  end,  and  the  holy 
city  destroyed.  The  affliction  will  extend  a  short  time 
beyond  the  middle  of  the  week,  and  then  after  a  still  further 
brief  delay  the  blessing  will  come.  There  will  be  a  resur- 
rection of  the  dead  and  a  day  of  judgment,  when  the 
righteous  will  receive  their  inheritance,  and  shine  for  ever 
as  the  stars. 

There  are  two  Messianic  passages  in  the  second  part 
of  Daniel  that  are  best  considered  together.  Daniel  in 
the  first  year  of  Darius,  in  answer  to  supplication,  receives 
in  a  vision  a  prediction  of  the  interval  to  the  advent  of 
the  Messiah  and  of  the  last  times. 

"  Seventy  weeks  are  decreed  upon  thy  people,  and  upon  thy  holy 
city,  to  finish  ^  transgression,  and  to  make  an  end  *  of  sins,  and  to 


^  Isa.  Ixvi.  24.     See  p.  40C.  ^  Rev.  xx.  9-11. 

^  ithJ:>  is  taken  by  LXX.,  Vulgate,  Gesen.,  Ewald,  Hitzig,  R.V. 
and  most  interpreters  as  for  np^,  to  complete,  finish ;  but  the  margin 
of  R. V.  agrees  with  Keil  and  Kranichfeld  in  reading  K73,  to  restrain, 
hold  back, 

*  Dnn  of  the  Qeri  is  followed  by  R.V.  after  most  interpreters ; 
but  the  Kethibh  Dnn,  to  seal,  is  given  in  the  margin ;  so  Keil, 
Kliefoth,  Kranichfeld  and  Orelli. 


422  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

cover  over  ^  iniquity,  and  to  bring  in  everlasting  righteousness,  and 
to  seal  up  vision  and  prophet, ^  and  to  anoint  the  holy  of  holies.^ 
Know  therefore  and  discern,  that  from  the  going  forth  of  the  word 
to  restore  and  to  build  Jerusalem,  until  an  anointed  one,  a  prince,* 
will  be  seven  weeks  and  sixty-two  weeks  ;  *  it  will  be  built  again 
with  street  and  moat  even  in  troublous  times.  And  after  the  sixty- 
two  weeks  an  anointed  one  will  be  cut  off,  and  will  have  nothing  :  ^ 
and  the  people  of  the  prince  that  will  come  will  destroy  the  city  and 
the  sanctuary  ;  and  his  end  will  be  with  a  flood,  and  even  unto  the 
end  will  be  war  ;  desolations  are  determined.  And  he  will  confirm 
a  covenant '  with  many  for  one  week  ;  and  in  the  middle  of  the 
week  he  will  cause  peace-offering  and  vegetable- offering  to  cease  ; 
and  upon  the  wing  of  abominations  will  be  a  desolator  ;  *  and  even 

^  "123  is  the  technical  term  for  covering  over  sin,  used  in  the 
priest  code  and  throughout  the  Old  Testament. 

2  {<^3:  is  prophet,  as  the  margin  of  E.V.,  so  Orelli,  and  not  the 
abstract  prophecy,  as  E.V.  itself  after  most  interpreters. 

^  D''t>np  cnp  is  the  holy  of  holies,  the  most  sacred  place  of  the 
temple.    There  is  no  propriety  in  referring  it  to  the  Messianic  person. 

^  "I^JJ  rT'u'D.  These  terms  are  indefinite,  unless  we  suppose  that 
r\^^-t2  has  already  become  a  proper  name.  It  is  just  as  strong  a 
reference  to  the  Messiah  as  if  it  were  definite.  We  cannot  agree 
with  those  who  find  any  other  historical  reference  than  the  fiSfil- 
ment  in  Jesus  Christ. 

''The  Massoretic  accents  break  up  the  times  into  three  periods 
of  7  +  62  +  1  weeks.  But  the  Versions  generally  favour  two  periods, 
69  weeks  and  1  week.  The  B..V.  agrees  with  most  modern  inter- 
preters in  following  the  Massoretic  text.  But  the  American  Com- 
pany of  E^?visers  rightly  consult  the  context,  and  agree  with  the 
rendering  of  the  margin  of  the  E.V.  The  Massoretic  text  is  also 
followed  by  Keil  and  Kliefoth,  who  make  seven  sacred  times  until 
the  advent  of  the  Messiah,  and  then  sixty-two  weeks  of  the  building 
of  the  sacred  city,  with  a  final  week  of"  affliction  in  the  last  days. 
But  this  is  introducing  into  the  Old  Testament  the  New  Testament 
doctrme  of  an  interval  between  the  first  advent  of  the  Messiah  and 
the  end  of  the  world. 

*  l(?  pX"l  =  and  he  will  have  nothing— that  is,  all  will  be  lost  with 
his  death.  So  it  will  seem  at  the  time.  The  A.V.,  "but  not  for 
himself,"  has  nothing  to  recommend  it  in  the  context.  It  intro- 
duces the  innocence  of  the  sufierer  from  Isa.  liii. 

'  "i'^M  has  as  its  subject  the  hostile  prince  according  to  most 
interpreters,  and  not  the  Messiah,  as  Havernick,  Hengstenberg,  and 
others  suppose. 

/  P)32  bv-  The  desolator  is  compared  to  a  gigantic  vulture  or 
bird  of  prey.  He  comes  do-wn  with  his  foul  and  abominable  wings 
to  defile  and  destroy  the  sacred  places. 


DANIEL.  423 

unto  the  consummation,  and  that  determined,  will  it  be  poured  out 
upon  the  desolator/' — Dan.  ix.  24-27. 

The  second  Messianic  passage  gives  another  view  of 
these  last  times.     It  is  assigned  to  the  third  year  of  Cyrus. 

"  And  at  that  time  will  Michael  stand  up,  the  great  prince  wlio 
standeth  over  the  children  of  thy  people  ;  and  there  will  be  a  time 
of  trouble,  such  as  never  was  since  there  was  a  nation  even  to  that 
same  time  ;  and  at  that  time  thy  people  will  be  delivered,  every  one 
that  will  be  found  written  in  the  book.  And  many  of  them  that 
sleep  in  the  dust  of  the  earth  will  awake,  some  to  everlasting  life, 
and  some  to  reproach  and  everlasting  abhorrence.  And  they  that 
be  wise  will  shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firmament  ;  and  they 
that  turn  many  to  righteousness  as  the  stars  for  ever  and  ever.  .  .  . 
And  I  heard  the  man  clothed  in  linen,  that  was  over  the  waters  of 
the  river,  when  he  held  up  his  right  hand  unto  heaven,  and  sware 
by  him  that  liveth  for  ever,  that  it  will  be  for  a  time,  times  and 
a  half;  and  when  they  have  made  an  end  of  breaking  in  pieces 
the  power  of  the  holy  people,  all  these  things  will  be  finished.  .  .  . 
Many  will  purify  themselves,  and  make  themselves  white,  and  be 
refined  ;  but  the  wicked  will  do  wickedly,  and  none  of  the  wicked 
will  understand  ;  but  they  that  be  wise  will  understand.  And  from 
the  time  that  the  continual  burnt-offering  shall  be  taken  away,  and 
the  abomination  that  maketh  desolate  set  up,  there  will  be  a 
thousand  two  hundred  and  ninety  days.  Blessed  be  he  that  waiteth, 
and  cometh  to  the  thousand  three  hundred  and  five  and  thirty  days. 
But  go  thou  thy  way  till  the  end  be ;  for  thou  wilt  rest,  and  wilt 
stand  in  thy  lot  at  the  end  of  the  days." — Dan.  xii.  1-3,  10-13. 

The  interpretation  of  these  passages  depends  upon 
the  explanation  of  the  seventy  weeks.  There  are  three 
views.  (1)  The  ancient  theory  was  that  they  refer  to 
the  appearance  of  Christ  in  the  flesh,  his  death  and  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem  by  the  Komans.  (2)  Most 
recent  interpreters  refer  the  whole  passage  to  the  time  of 
Antiochus  Epiphanes.  (3)  Some  of  the  Fathers  and 
many  recent  interpreters  regard  the  prophecy  as  referring 
to  the  development  of  the  kingdom  of  God  from  the  end 
of  the  exile  to  the  fulfilment  of  the  kingdom  at  the 
second    advent.     The    primary   question    is   whether  to 


424  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

attach  the  sixty-two  weeks  to  the  previous  seven  and 
make  two  periods,  or  to  separate  them  and  regard  the 
prophecy  as  distinguishing  three  periods  of  seven  weeks, 
sixty-two  weeks,  and  one  week.  The  difficulty  with  the 
last  method  of  interpretation  is  that  it  cannot  satisfactorily 
explain  the  cutting  off  of  the  Messiah.  Furthermore, 
the  representation  of  a  long  interval  of  sixty-two  weeks 
between  the  advent  of  the  Messiah  and  the  end,  is 
against  the  Old  Testament  point  of  view,  which  does  not 
distinguish  the  two  advents  of  the  New  Testament.  It 
seems  to  us  that  the  prophecy  predicts  that  sixty-nine 
weeks  will  elapse  from  the  decree  of  Cyrus  to  the  advent 
of  the  Messianic  prince,  and  that  the  final  week  is  the 
time  of  his  advent,  in  the  middle  of  which  he  is  cut  off 
and  the  Old  Testament  worship  is  brought  to  an  end, 
the  holy  city  destroyed,  and  the  new  covenant  established. 
In  connection  with  this  event  the  prophet  sees  the  end 
of  the  world.  The  cutting  off  of  the  Messiah  is  not 
strange  to  us  in  Daniel,  for  we  have  already  seen  the 
martyr  death  of  the  servant  of  Jahveh  in  Isaiah  and 
the  psalms  of  the  exile.^  The  suffering  Messiah  is  the 
great  Messianic  idea  of  the  period  of  the  exile.  Daniel 
has  no  more  idea  of  a  Messianic  king  in  this  passage, 
than  has  the  great  unknown  in  his  representation  of  the 
suffering  servant.  The  enthroned  son  of  man  of  the 
previous  section  does  not  appear  until  the  great  judgment. 
The  Messiah  here  is  a  sulVerer  who  dies  in  the  last  times 
of  suffering,  prior  to  the  judgment  and  prior  to  the 
establishment  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  Daniel  does  not 
see  the  combination  of  these  two  representations  in  one 
person.  This  could  not  be  disclosed  until  the  first  advent 
of  Jesus  Christ  in  a  state  of  humiliation  showed  that 
he  himself,  and  not  another,  would  come  again  in  his 
kingdom  of  glory  at  the  end  of  the  world. 

See  pp.  323  and  358. 


DANIEL.  425 

We  cannot  accept  the  theory,  which  prevails  with  the 
majority  of  modern  critics,  that  the  prophecy  relates  to 
the  afflictions  in  the  time  of  Antiochus  Epiphanes.  It 
is  true  that  the  term  "  anointed  one "  might  refer  to  a 
high  priest  slain  at  that  time,  and  there  is  no  reasonable 
objection  to  referring  the  term  "  an  anointed  one,"  "  a 
prince,"  to  any  heathen  monarch  who  might  be  used 
to  advance  the  interests  of  God's  people ;  but,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  terms  are  more  commonly  applied  to  the 
Messiah  as  a  prince  of  Israel  and  an  anointed  one  of 
Jahveh.  The  terms  do  not  decide.  It  may  also  be 
admitted  that  the  Maccabean  editor  of  this  prediction  of 
Daniel  may  have  had  in  mind  the  Antiochan  persecution, 
which  might  very  well  be  regarded  as  a  prelude  to  the 
Messianic  end  ;  but  this  does  not  decide  the  goal  of  the 
prediction  of  Daniel.  If  we  suppose  that  Daniel  was 
the  origioal  author  of  the  prediction,  there  would  be  less 
likelihood  of  his  thinking  of  the  Antiochan  affliction, 
and  more  intrinsic  probability  of  his  thinking  of  the 
ultimate  affliction  in  accordance  with  the  usage  of  Old 
Testament  prophecy.  From  this  point  of  view  the 
Antiochan  times  may  be  regarded  as  an  historical  antici- 
pation of  the  Messianic  affliction,  but  not  as  the  fulfilment 
of  the  prediction  of  Daniel,^  who  agrees  with  all  the 
prophets  in  looking  forward  to  the  times  of  the  Messiah 
and  disregarding  intervening  events,  and  is  in  especial 
accord  with  the  great  unknown  in  his  conception  of  a 
suffering  Messiah. 

The  last  prediction  gives  an  expansion  of  the  final 
week.  As  the  seventy  years  of  the  duration  of  the 
captivity,  according  to  Jeremiah,^  unfolded  apparently  in 
the  last  year,  in  Dan.  ix.  into  seventy  weeks  from 
the  decree  to  rebuild  Jerusalem  till  the  Messianic  end, 
so  the  last  week  of  the  seventy  is  analysed  into  days. 
1  See  p.  65.  ^  jer.  xxix.  10. 


426  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY.  ■ 

Tlie  entire  year-week  is  2520  days;  of  these  1290  days  I 

are  mentioned,  or  30   days  beyond  the  first  half  of  the  ■ 

year-week,  and  1335  days,  or  45  more  beyond.     Similar  j 

numbers  occur  in  chap,  viii.,  viz. — 2300  days  of  evening 
and    morning — equivalent    to    G/g"   year- days,    or    the  ! 

greater  portion  of  the  year-week.     The  earlier  affliction  ! 

of  the  little  horn  of  the  third  kingdom  was  to  last  the 
greater  part  of  a  year-week,  but  the  later  and  greater 
affliction  was  to  last  only  for  half  the  year- week  and  a  I 

very  little  beyond.  i 

These  numbers  are  entirely  symbolical,  and  are  to  be 
interpreted  in  their  relations,  but  cannot   be  reduced  to  i 

measures  of  historic  time.  They  show  that  the  times  of 
the  world-power  have  been  strictly  limited  by  God,  and 
that  the  last  times  of  affliction  will  be  very  brief,  and  i 

that  these  will  be  speedily  followed  by  a  divine  advent, 
when  all  the  promises  of  blessing  will  be  realized  to  the  i 

full.  ' 

The  final  blessedness  is  not  only  for  those  living  at 
the  time,  but  also  for  the  faithful  Daniel  and  those  who 
have  acted  wisely,  and  brought  others  to  righteousness. 
There  is  indeed  to  be  a  resurrection  of  the  dead.  There 
have  been  already  three  predictions  of  the  resurrection 
of  the  dead,^  but  these  have  all  looked  forward  to  a 
national  resurrection  of  Israel,  and  have  not  presented  ; 

the  doctrine  of  the  resurrection  of   individuals  in  Israel.  i 

Here  for  the  first  time  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrection  i 

of  individuals  comes  into  the   Messianic  idea,  and  there  | 

is  a  distinction  in  the  character  of  these.     Some  are  to  i 

rise   to   receive   their   everlasting  reward,   and    some  to  ' 

shame    and    everlasting    abhorrence :    these  two  classes  , 

are  in  strong   antithesis.       The    righteous  dead    are    to  ; 

share   hi   the   felicity   of  the   holy   land.     Daniel   is  to  j 

^  Hos.  xiii.  14  ;  Ezek.  xxxvii.  7-14 ;  Isa.  xxvi.  19.     See  pp.  176, 
275,  and  307. 


DANIEL.  427 

stand  in  liis  lot,  that  is,  receive  his  share  of  the  inlierit- 
ance  in  the  laud  of  redemption.  This  involves  the 
conception  of  Ezekiel,  of  a  redistribution  of  the  holy 
land,  after  the  method  of  the  original  distribution  in  the 
times  of  the  conquest  by  Joshua.^  But  the  wicked  are 
also  to  receive  their  ill-deserts,  they  are  to  rise  from  the 
dead  for  this  purpose.  In  the  closing  apocalypse  of 
the  great  unknown,  we  saw  the  wicked  a  mass  of  rotting, 
burning  carcases  outside  the  holy  city,  in  the  vale  of 
Gehenna,^  an  abhorrence  to  all  mankind.  These  were 
the  wicked  enemies  living  in  the  time  of  the  great 
judgment.  But  here  Daniel  adds  to  that  mass  the 
wicked  dead  who  rise  from  their  graves  in  order  likewise 
to  become  the,  everlasting  abhorrence  of  the  righteous. 
Daniel  does  not  yet  conceive  of  a  universal  resurrection, 
but  only  a  resurrection  of  some,  tlie  righteous  and  a 
portion  of  the  wicked.  He  is  probably  thinking  of  the 
wicked  children  of  Israel,  the  apostates.  He  has  not 
learned  that  the  heathen  will  rise  from  the  dead  also. 
That  is  a  doctrine  of  the  New  Testament,  which  has  not 
yet  arisen  in  the  Messianic  idea. 

1  Ezek  xlviii.     See  p.  285.  «  Is-a.  Ixvi.  21.     See  p.  285 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  TIMES  OF  THE  RESTORATION. 

The  destruction  of  the  Chaldean  empire  and  the  erection 
of  the  Persian  empire  in  its  stead  was  a  wonderful  divine 
interposition  on  behalf  of  the  chosen  people.  The 
friendliness  of  Cyrus  and  his  decree  permitting  them 
to  return  to  Jerusalem,  and  restore  the  temple  and 
institutions  of  their  religion,  was  a  fulfilment  of  the 
predictions  of  their  prophets  that  aroused  their  admiration 
and  exerted  their  hopes  to  the  highest  pitch.  They 
remembered  the  wonders  of  the  deliverance  from  Egypt 
and  the  march  through  the  wilderness  to  Canaan,  and, 
encouraged  by  the  predictions  of  Isaiah,  Jeremiah, 
Ezekiel,  and  the  great  unknown,  they  looked  forward  to  a 
divine  advent  and  a  march  to  Zion  through  the  wilder- 
ness, that  would  transcend  all  the  ancient  theophanies. 
Psalm  Ixviii.  was  composed  at  this  time,^  and  gives 
expression  to  these  hopes  in  language  borrowed  largely 
from  ancient  poems,  and  especially  from  the  great 
unknown. 


1  There  is  no  psalm  which  has  troubled  critics  so  much  as  this 
psalm.  The  history  of  its  interpretation  is  a  marvel  of  errors  and 
contradictions.  There  is  still  considerable  difference  of  opinion  as  to 
its  date.  But  its  dependence  upon  other  pieces  of  poetry,  and 
especially  upon  Isa.  xl.-lxvi.,  seems  to  me  to  fix  its  date  at  the  close 
of  the  exile  or  in  the  time  of  preparation  for  the  return  from 
Babylon. 

428 


MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  TIMES  OF  THE  RESTOEATION.      429 


I.    THE  MAKCH  OF  JAHVEH. 

§  107.  Psalm  LXVIIL  describes  the  march  of  Jahveh 
to  Zion.  He  triumphs  over  all  enemies,  leads  the  captives, 
whom  He  has  rescued,  in  triumphant  procession,  laden  with 
spoils,  and  enters  toith  them  the  sanctuary  of  Zion.  Egypt, 
Ethiopia,  and  all  nations  unite  in  His  worship  and  in 
songs  of  praise, 

L  "  When  God  arises,^  his  enemies  will  be  scattered  ; 
Yea,  those  that  hate  him  will  flee  from  his  presence. 
As  smoke  is  driven  away,  thou  wilt  drive  them  ;  * 
As  wax  melteth  from  the  presence  of  fire, 
The  wicked  will  perish  from  the  presence  of  God  ; 
But  the  righteous  will  rejoice,  will  exult  before  God, 
And  they  will  shout  for  joy. 
Sing  unto  God,  play  his  name. 
Cast  up  a  way  for  his  chariot  in  the  wastes. 
Jah  is  his  name,  therefore  exult  before  him. 
A  father  of  orphans  and  a  judge  of  widows 
Is  God  in  the  habitation  of  his  holiness  ; 
God  is  one  who  makes  the  solitary  to  dwell  in  a  house, 
Who  briugeth  out  prisoners  into  prosperity, 
Only  the  stubborn  do  inhabit  a  parched  land. 

II.  O  God,  when  thou  wentest  forth  before  thy  people,  I 

When  thou  didst  march  in  the  wastes,  the  earth  trembled,^ 
Yea,  the  heavens  dropped  at  the  presence  of  God, 

^  D^P^  is  not  jussive,  as  A.V.,  E.V.,  Perowne,  and  Delitzsch,  but 
indicative  and  hypothetical,  as  Ewald  and  Hitzig,  or,  better  still,  the 
protasis  of  a  temporal  clause. 

2  The  ?)n:n  and  C)n:n  of  the  Massoretic  text  are  difficult.     The 

LXX.,  Peshitto,  Targum,  and  Vulgate  read  fjir.    Perowne  would 

read  P|n3n  .  .  •  ^"l^HS    taking  both  forms  as  Niphal.     Ewald  makes 

Pjl^n,  3  fem.  intransitive.     Delitzsch  explains  Pjl^n  as  an  infinitive 

absolute  for  infin.  construct  by  assimilation  to  fjnjD. 

^  The  rhythm  requires  that  we  should  disregard  the  accents  of 
the  Massoretes,  and  attach  ntJ'yi  pK  to  this  line.  Eeuas  makes  it 
an  independent  line. 


430  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

Yon  Sinai  at  the  presence  of  God,  the  God  of  IsraeL^ 

With  a  copious  rain  thou  used  to  sprinkle  it,^  0  God  ; 

Thine  inheritance,  if  it  were  weary,  thou  didst  establish  it. 

Thy  living^  creatures  dwelt  in  it. 

Thou  used  to  prepare  in  thy  goodness  for  the  afflicted,  O  God.* 

'Adonay  giveth  the  word, 

The  women  that  bring  the  glad  tidings  are  a  great  host, 

{Saying),  '  Kings  of  hosts  flee,  they  flee, 

And  she  that  tarrieth  at  home,  shall  she  divide  spoil  ? 

Will  ye  abide  among  the  cotes  ?  ^ 

The  winged  dove  is  covered  with  silver, 

And  her  pinions  with  yellow  gold.'  ^ 

m.  When  ^  Shadday  would  scatter  kings, 
It  will  snow  therein  in  dense  darkness. 

1  These  four  lines  are  a  free  use  of  the  song  of  Deborah,  Judg. 
V.  4,  5. 

2  The  Massoretes  divide  the  verse  here  according  to  the  rhythm. 
And  yet  Hupfeld,  Delitzsch,  and  Perowne  follow  the  versions,  and 
attach  irfpn^  to  the  first  haK  of  the  line.  That  makes  it  a  penta- 
meter. 

^  "inT!  is  taken  by  A.Y.  and  E.Y.  as  congregation,  and  in  the 
margin  as  troops,  after  Gesenius.  But  it  is  better,  with  Hupfeld, 
Delitzsch,  and  Perowne,  to  think  of  living  creatures. 

■*  lliese  imperfects  are  frequentatives,  referring  to  the  continued 
care  of  Jahveh  over  His  people  in  the  holy  land. 

^  D'na*^  is  evidently  essentially  the  same  as  D'nS'J'O  of  Judg.  v.  16. 
But  the  context  shows  that  we  are  to  think  of  dove-cotes  rather  than 
fiheep-folds. 

*^  This  is  very  difficult,  and  is  variously  understood.  The  inter- 
pretation depends  upon  our  idea  of  the  connection  of  this  distich 
with  the  distich  that  follows.  Ewald,  Perowne,  and  others  think 
there  is  a  contrast  here.  We  think  that  the  strophe  closes  here,  and 
that  these  are  all  the  words  of  the  women  who  are  heralding  the 
gi'eat  victory.  They  are  calling  upon  their  sisters  to  go  forth  and 
take  possession  of  the  rich  spoil  of  gold  and  silver  that  lies  upon  the 
ground.  It  is  not  in  accordance  with  the  song  of  Deborah  to 
suppose  that  the  one  who  stays  at  home  will  share  tlie  spoil.  It  is 
better,  therefore,  to  regard  the  clause  as  interrogati\e  with  the 
answer  No,  she  shall  not.  The  doves  in  the  dove-cotes  do  not  show 
their  bright  plumage.  It  is  only  when  they  are  on  the  wing  in  the 
sunshine  that  the  gold  and  silver  colours  appear.  So  let  the 
damsels  of  Israel  take  flight  to  the  battle-field,  and  they  will  be 
rewarded  with  the  rich  spoil  of  the  victory.  The  heralds  are  women, 
and  they  are  exhorting  the  women  of  Israel.  The  men  are  supposed 
to  be  already  on  the  battle-field. 

^  This  third  strophe  begins,  like  the  others,  with  the  protasis  of  a 


MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  TIMES  OF  THE  RESTORATION.      431 

O  mountain  of  God,^  mount  Bashan  ; 

O  mountain  of  summits,  mount  Bashan  ; 

Why  look  ye  askance,  ye  mountain  of  summits, 

At  the  mountain  God  has  desired  to  dwell  in  ? 

Surely  Jahveh  will  inhabit  it  for  ever. 

The  chariots  of  God  are  two  myriads,  thousands  repeated  : 

'Adonay  among  them  came  from  Sinai  ^  into  his  holy  place. 

Thou  hast  gone  up  on  high,  thou  hast  led  captives,  captive  ; ' 

Thou  hast  taken  gifts  of  men, 

And  even  the  rebellious  are  to  dwell  with  Jah  Elohim.* 

temporal  clause.  This  clause  has  ^^.^^  i^^  tte  protasis,  and  ^^pj^ 
in  the  apodosis.  It  reminds  us  of  Deut.  xxxii.  8.  Both  clauses 
have  modal  force,  p^^  is  not  the  name  of  a  mountain,  but  is  a  noun 
similar  to  ni^i^V,  with  the  meaning  dense  darkness,  as  the  Targum, 
many  Eabbins,  and  Reuss.  I  can  see  no  good  sense  in  snowing  on 
Zalmon.  Some  think  that  it  is  the  place  where  the  battle  took  place, 
and  the  shields,  spears,  and  weapons  of  the  slain  were  scattered  upon 
the  ground  as  snow  in  a  snow-storm.  The  easiest  interpretation  is 
to  think  of  a  theophany,  as  in  Judg.  v.  20,  22,  where  there  was  a 
severe  storm.  Comp.  Josh.  x.  11  and  Job  xxxviii.  22-23.  Snow- 
storms and  hail-storms  are  conceived  as  the  special  means  used  by 
God  when  He  interposes  in  battle  for  His  people.  The  Psalmist 
looks  for  such  a  great  snow-storm  in  a  time  of  dense  darkness,  in 
which  the  enemies  of  God  will  be  defeated  and  slain. 

^  DTll^X  in  is  mountain  of  God,  as  a  very  great  mountain,  comp. 
Ps.  xxxvi.  7.     It  does  not  imply  that  it  was  a  sacred  place. 

2  '^^0  is  difficult  to  construct  and  understand.  It  is  mentioned 
here,  because  the  Psalmist  has  in  mind  the  blessing  of  Moses  (Deut. 
xxxiii.  2,  3).  U2  is  taken  by  Hupfeld  and  Stade  as  a  corruption  of 
'^^D'O  N3.  This  is  indeed  suggested  by  Deut.  xxxiii.  2,  {<3  "'J'^DO. 
But  Perowne  and  Eeuss  insert  d  X3  after  D3.  It  seems  to  us  that 
the  historical  reference  is  more  in  accord  with  the  style  of  this  psalm 
than  the  insertion  of  3  before  ^yo,  and  rendering  "  as  in  Sinai  in  the 
sanctuary,"  or  with  Delitzsch  and  the  margin  of  the  R.V.,  render 
"  Sinai  is  in  the  sanctuary,"  or  with  Ewald,  "  Sinai  in  holiness." 
Zion  had  to  the  Jew  a  much  greater  sanctity  than  even  Sinai. 
Zion  was  a  holier  name,  as  the  abode  of  the  theophanic  God  for 
hundreds  of  years.  Why  should  it  be  called  a  Sinai  as  if  the 
theophany  at  Sinai  for  a  brief  period  made  that  more  holy  than 
Zion  ? 

^  Comp.  Judg.  V.  12. 

*  D"'1"i1D  P|i<  is  the  subject  of  the  infinitive,  and  n*'  is  the  accusative, 
as  Ewald  and  Hupfeld.  Most  interpreters  connect  it  with  the 
previous  line,  and  make  the  infinitive  the  purpose  of  the  whole 
previous  clause.  Perowne  makes  the  infinitive  take  the  place  of  the 
imperf.  and  renders,  "  Yea,  with  the  rebellious  shaU  Jah  God  abide." 


432  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

Blessed  be  'Adonay,  who  day  by  day  bearetli  our  burdens, 
'El  is  our  salvation,  'EI  is  unto  us  an  'El  for  saving  acta, 
To  Jahveh  'Adonay  belong  the  issues  for  death. 

rV.  Yea,  God  will  crush  the  chief  of  his  enemies,* 
The  hairy  scalp  of  one  walking  on  in  faults ; 
'Adonay  said,  '  From  Bashan  I  will  recompense, 
I  will  recompense  from  the  depths  of  the  sea, 
That  thy  foot  may  be  bathed  in  blopd,^ 

And  the  tongue  of  thy  dogs  have  its  portion'  of  the  enemies.' 
They  have  seen  thy  goings,  O  God, 
The  goings  of  my  'El,  my  king,  into  the  holy  place : 
The  singers  went  before,  behind  the  minstrels, 
In  the  midst  damsels  playing  on  timbrels,  {saying^) 
*  In  the  congregations  bless  ye  God, 
'Adonay,  ye  from  the  fountain  of  Israel.'  * 
There  is  little  Benjamin,  their  ruler, 
Princes  of  Judah  with  their  company, 
Princes  of  Zebulun,  princes  of  Naphtali 

V.  O  God,  command  Thy  strength,* 

O  strengthen,  God,  what  thou  hast  done  for  us  from  thy 

temple.^ 
Unto  Jerusalem,  to  thee  will  kings  bring  presents. 

^  Comp.  Deut.  xxxii.  42. 

2  The  Massoretic  yrt^n  does  not  give  good  sense.  It  is  best  to 
follow  the  LXX.,  Peshitto,  Vulgate,  Hupfeld,  Reuss,  Perowne,  and 
most  critics,  and  read  piin. 

2  The  Massoretic  '\r\:rD  is  variously  explained.  The  A.V.  follows 
the  LXX.,  Calvin,  and  others,  in  taking  it  as  the  preposition  p  with 
the  suffix  "of  the  same,"  that  is,  of  the  blood.  Delitzsch  and  Perowne 
take  it  as  the  noun  p  =  njD,  portion,  and  refer  the  suffix  to  the 
tongue.  It  is  still  better,  with  Olshausen  and  Hupfeld,  to  read  inj?D, 
and  thus  gain  the  noun  n:D,  which  has  the  authority  of  usage  in  its 
favour. 

*  Comp.  Isa.  xlviii.  1,  li.  1. 

'  The  Massoretic  n^V  is  not  so  suited  to  the  context  as  n^y  of  the 

LXX.  and  Symmachus,  which  latter  is  followed  by  Ewald,  Hupfeld, 
Perowne,  and  others. 

^  "l^DM^  is  to  be  attached  to  the  second  line,  with  Hupfeld  and 
Perowne.  The  lines  in  the  laststro})he  are  longer  than  usual.  They 
are  generally  tetrameters.  There  is  considerable  variation  from 
trimeter  to  tetrameter  in  this  hymn,  as  in  the  song  of  Deborah,  after 
which  it  is  modelled. 


MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  TIMES  OF  THE  RESTOEATION.      433 

Eebuke  the  wild  beast  of  the  reeds,  the  assembly  of  bulls, 
With  the  calves  of  the  peoples  trampling  under  foot  for  pieces 

of  silver ; 
Disperse  ^  the  people  which  delight  in  wars. 
Eich  ones  will  come  out  of  Egypt, 
Cush  will  haste  to  spread  forth  his  hands  unto  God.^ 
Ye  kingdoms  of  the  earth,  sing  unto  God, 
Play  to  'Adonay,  to  him  who  rides  upon  the  ancient  heavens. 
Lo,  he  uttereth  with  his  voice,  a  strong  voice. 
Ascribe  strength  to  God, 

Over  Israel  is  his  majesty  and  his  strength  in  the  skies. 
God  is  to  be  feared  in  thy  holy  places, 
'El  of  Israel  also  giveth  strength  and  great  power  to  the 

people. 

Blessed  be  God."  — Ps.  Ixviii. 

This  psalm  is  composed  of  five  strophes  of  fifteen 
lines  each.  It  is  constructed  after  the  model  of  the 
song  of  Deborah,  and  is  full  of  reminiscences  of  other 
pieces  of  Hebrew  poetry ;  but  it  is  especially  animated 
by  the  spirit  and  guided  by  the  conceptions  of  the  great 
unknown. 

The  first  strophe  begins  with  the  general  statement 
that  when  God  comes  in  theophany,  the  wicked  will  flee 
like  smoke  and  melt  like  wax,^  but  the  righteous  will 
shout  for  joy.  The  second  part  of  the  strophe  is  a  call 
to  cast  up  a  highway  for  Jahveh,  whose  chariot  is  to 
march  through  the  wastes,*  and  describes  Him  as  a 
father  of  orphans,  a  judge  of  widows,  the  deliverer  of 
prisoners,  and  the  bestower  of  fruitfulness.'^ 

The   second   strophe   begins   with  a  reference  to  the 

1  -1-^3  of  the  Massoretic  text  is  not  so  good  as  n^3  of  the  LXX., 

which  is  adopted  by  Ewald. 

2  Comp.  Isa.  xliii.  3,  xlv.  14,  Ix.  5,  6. 

'  The  author  evidently  had  in  mind  the  song  of  Moses,  when  the 
ark  of  the  covenant  set  forward.     See  Num.  x.  35. 

*  This  reminds  us  of  the  refrains  of  the  great  unknown,  Isa.  xl.  3, 
Ivii.  14,  Ixii.  10. 

^  This  is  in  the  style  of  Isa.  xl.  11,  xlii.  16,  xlix.  15  16. 

2  E 


434  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

divine  march  from  Sinai  through  the  wilderness  to 
Palestine/  and  of  His  provisions  for  His  people  in  the 
holy  land.^  In  the  second  half  of  the  strophe,  God  Him- 
self gives  the  word  of  victory,  and  tlie  damsels  push  on 
to  proclaim  it  as  glad  tidings  to  the  women  of  Israel.^ 
The  announcement  is  made  that  the  victory  has  been  gained, 
the  spoil  is  ready,  and  a  warning  is  given  lest  any  should 
neglect  to  secure  her  share  in  it.*  The  kings  of  the  nations 
are  in  full  flight,  and  the  battle-field  is  covered  with 
spoils.  She  who  tarries  at  home  will  not  share  in  them. 
Let  the  dove  leave  her  cote  and  spread  her  wings  of  gold 
and  silver,  and  fly  forth  to  take  her  share  in  the  victory 
of  God. 

The  third  strophe  begins  with  a  brief  reference  to 
God's  interposition  by  snow-storm  for  the  discomfiting  of 
the  hostile  kings.  It  then  points  to  Zion  as  the  place 
that  God  had  chosen  above  all  others  as  His  everlasting 
habitation.  It  a'jjain  describes  the  march  of  God  with 
His  innumerable  chariots  of  angels  from  Sinai  ^  into  His 
holy  place,  and  concludes  with  the  glad  statement  that 
Jahveh  has  delivered  the  captive  Israelites  from  the 
exile,  and  is  on  His  march  with  the  train  of  rescued  ones 
to  His  holy  place.^  He  is  a  God  of  salvation,  He  is 
a  God  of  saving  acts  and  of  deliverance  even  from  death. 
He  will  restore  the  redeemed,  even  those  that  have  been 
rebellious,  and  they  will  dwell  with  Him  as  their  God 
and  Saviour  in  Zion.'^ 

1  This  is  a  free  use  of  the  song  of  Deborah,  Judg.  v.  4,  5. 

2  This  is  in  the  manner  of  the  song  of  Moses,  Ex.  xv.  13,  17. 

5  This  damsels'  song  reminds  us  of  the  singing  women  of  Ex.  xv. 
21.  The  heralds  themselves  are  like  the  heralds  of  the  great  un- 
known, Isa,  xl.  9,  xlviii.  20,  lii.  7,  8,  Ixii.  6,  11. 

*  The  rebuke  to  the  slothful  and  easy-going  is  in  the  manner  of 
Judg.  V.  16. 

^  The  myriads  of  chariots  that  accompany  Jahveh  on  His  march, 
are  after  the  manner  of  the  blessing  of  Moses,  Deut.  xxxiii.  2. 

®  The  train  of  rescued  captives  is  in  the  style  of  Judg.  v.  12. 

'  The  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians,  iv.  8,  applies  this  ascent  to  the 


MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  TIMES  OF  THE  RESTORATION.      435 

The  fourth  strophe  first  describes  the  crushing  of  the 
enemies.  They  will  not  be  able  to  escape,  they  will  be 
caught  between  the  heights  of  Bashan  and  the  depths  of 
the  sea,  and  Israel  will  bathe  his  feet  in  their  blood. 
The  strophe  concludes  with  a  dramatic  description  of  the 
entrance  into  the  sanctuary.  In  front  march  the  singers, 
then  comes  Jahveh  the  great  king,  with  damsels  playing 
on  timbrels  to  the  right  and  left  of  Him.  Behind  Him 
march  the  players  on  stringed  instruments,  and  then  the 
tribes  of  Israel.  Those  especially  mentioned  are  Benja- 
min and  Judah  in  the  south,  and  Zebulun  and  Naphtali 
in  the  north,  the  former  because  they  constituted  the 
body  of  the  exiles  who  returned,  the  latter  because  they 
were  the  warlike  tribes  of  Deborah's  song.^ 

The  last  strophe  is  a  petition  based  upon  the  triumph- 
ant march,  a  prayer  that  Zion  may  be  strengthened 
and  her  enemies  destroyed.  These  enemies  are  described 
as  the  wild  beast  of  the  reeds,  Egypt ;  the  assembly  of 
bulls  and  their  calves,  the  princes  and  people  of  the 
nations  in  general,  all  the  warlike  powers.  The  psalmist 
yearns  for  the  destruction  of  all  the  violent,  and  the 
estabhshment  of  peace.  Then  he  sees  that  Egypt  and 
Ethiopia  will  turn  unto  God  with  tribute  and  worship. 
All  the  kingdoms  will  sing  His  praise.  His  chariot 
is  in  the  highest  heavens.  His  strength  is  in  the  skies ; 
and  yet  His  holy  places  are  in  Zion,  there  is  His  majesty, 
and  there  He  is  to  be  revered.  He  giveth  strength  and 
great  power  unto  His  people.  The  universal  relations  of 
this  triumphant  march  of  Jahveh  to  Zion  are  no  less 
prominent  than  in  the  corresponding  prophecies  of  the 
great  unknown. 

height  of  Zion,  with  a  train  of  rescued  captives,  to  the  ascension  of 
Jesus  Christ  from  the  abode  of  the  dead  to  heaven.     The  victorious 
march  of  Jahveh  finds  its  appropriate  fulfihnent  in  that  gi^eatest 
of  all  victories,  and  that  greatest  of  all  triumphal  processiona. 
1  See  Judg.  v.  18. 


436  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

The  decree  of  Cyrus  permitting  the  Jews  to  return  to 
their  own  land,  and  to  rebuild  the  temple  at  Jerusalem, 
was  followed  by  the  joyful  compliance  of  considerable 
numbers,  under  the  governor  Zerubbabel  of  the  house  of 
David,  and  Joshua  the  chief  priest.  They  began  the 
erection  of  the  temple  by  setting  up  the  altar  in  its 
ancient  place,  and  undertook  the  rebuilding  of  the  city. 
Great  difficulties  were  encountered,  owing  to  the  jealousies 
of  the  inhabitants  of  Samaria  and  Edom,  and  continued 
misrepresentations  at  the  court  of  Persia.  •  Two  prophets 
arose  in  the  reign  of  Darius  to  cheer  them  in  their  work, 
Haggai  and  Zechariah. 

Little  is  known  of  Haggai  apart  from  his  predictions, 
and  the  brief  mention  of  the  time  of  his  appearance.^ 
There  are  two  predictions  in  his  slender  collection  of 
prophecies,  but  these  are  so  nearly  alike  that  it  is  best 
to  treat  them  together. 

n.  THE  GLOEY  OF  THE  NEW  TEMPLE. 

§  108.  Haggai  predicts  that  heaven  and  earth  will  "be 
shaken,  kingdoms  overthrown,  aiid  the  instruments  of  war 
destroyed.  The  nations  luill  hiding  their  choicest  treasures 
into  the  house  of  Jahveh,  and  the  latter  glory  of  the  house 
will  he  greater  than  the  former.  Zerubhahel,  the  servant  of 
Jahveh,  will  become  His  signet. 

"  For  thus  saith  Jahveh  Sabaoth :  again  once  more,  it  will  be 
after  a  little ;  and  I  am  about  to  shake  the  heavens,  and  the  earth, 
and  the  sea,  and  the  dry  land,  and  shake  all  nations  ;  and  the  things 
desired  ^  of  all  nations  will  come,  and  I  will  fill  this  house  with 

1  Ezra  V.  1,  vi.  14. 

^  men  is  referred  by  the  Vulgate,  Luther,  A.V.,  and  most  of  the 
older  interpreters,  to  the  Messiah  as  the  desire  of  all  nations,  and 
then  made  the  subject  of  the  clause.  But  it  is  properly  a  collec- 
tive, meaning  the  desirable  things,  the  riches  of  the  nations,  in 
accordance  with  the  context  So  iLV.  and  most  modern  inter- 
preters rightly  regard  it. 


MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  TIMES  OF  THE  RESTORATION.      437 

glory,  saith  Jahveh  Sabaoth.  Mine  is  the  silver,  and  mine  is  the 
gold,  is  the  utterance  of  Jahveh  Sabaoth.  The  latter  glory  of  this ' 
house  will  be  greater  than  the  former,  saith  Jahveh  Sabaoth  ;  and 
in  this  place  I  will  give  peace,  is  the  utterance  of  Jahveh  Sabaoth." 
—Hag.  ii.  6-9. 

This  prediction  is  based  upon  those  of  Ezekiel,  Jere- 
miah, and  the  great  unknown.^  The  temple  that  the 
returned  exiles  have  in  mind  to  erect  is  to  be  vastly 
more  glorious  than  the  temple  of  Solomon.  It  is  to  be 
the  shrine  of  adl  nations,  to  which  they  will  bring  their 
choicest  treasures,  and  it  will  be  a  place  of  peace.  This 
result  is  to  be  accomplished  by  a  divine  interposition. 
There  is  to  be  an  earthquake  in  physical  nature,  and  in 
the  political  and  social  relations  of  the  nations.  The 
same  prediction  is  renewed  and  enlarged  by  attaching  to 
it  the  exaltation  of  ZerubbabeL 

**  I  am  about  to  shake  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  and  overturn 
the  throne  of  kingdoms,  and  destroy  the  strength  of  kingdoms  of 
the  nations,  and  overthrow  the  chariot  and  its  riders ;  and  horses 
and  their  riders  will  descend  each  by  the  sword  of  his  brother.  In 
that  day  is  the  utterance  of  Jahveh  Sabaoth,  I  will  take  thee, 
Zerubbabel,  son  of  Shealtiel,  my  servant,  is  the  utterance  of  Jahveh, 
and  make  thee  like  a  signet ;  for  thee  have  I  chosen,  is  the  utterance 
of  Jahveh  Sabaoth."— Hag.  ii.  21-23. 

The  shaking  of  the  nations  is  now  explained  as  the 
overthrow  of  their  kingdoms,  and  the  destruction  of  their 
warlike  strength,  in  order  to  the  exaltation  of  Zerubbabel. 
As  in  the  previous  prediction,  the  temple  was  to  become 
more  glorious  than  ever  before  ;  so  in  this  prediction, 
Zerubbabel,  the  heir  of  the  throne  of  David,  is  to  become 

^  P"insn  is  taken  by  the  Peshitto,  Vulgate,  A.V.,  and  the  older 
interpreters  as  connected  with  TT'in.  But  it  is  better  to  connect  it 
with  T)33,  after  the  LXX.,  Ewald,  Hitzig,  Keil,  and  most  modern 
scholars. 

^  Jer.  iii.  14-18  ;  Ezek.  xl.-ilix. ;  Isa.  liv.  11-14,  Ix.  See  pp. 
242,  283,  389,  and  395. 


438  MESSIANIC  PKOPHECY. 

glorious.  He  is  the  servant  of  Jahveh,  who  is  to  become 
the  head  of  the  nation.  He  is  the  signet,  in  that  he  is 
the  pledge  and  assurance  of  the  fulfilment  of  the  sure 
mercies  of  David.  The  name  of  Zerubbabel  is  used  here 
as  the  name  of  David  had  been  in  Jeremiah.  He  is  the 
type  of  the  second  Zerubbabel. 

Zechaeiah. 

Zechariah  is  the  chief  of  the  prophets  of  the  Restora- 
tion. Like  Ezekiel,  he  was  a  priest  as  well  as  a  prophet. 
He  resembles  Ezekiel  also  in  the  symbolic  forms  of  his 
predictions.  There  are  three  sections  in  the  present 
book.  The  first  section,  chaps.  i.-viii.,  is  the  genuine 
product  of  Zechariah's  prophetic  inspiration  ;  the  other 
two  sections  differ  in  such  a  marked  degree,  that  they  are 
assigned  by  critics  to  other  authors  and  other  times. 
Chaps,  ix.-xi.  have  been  assigned  to  an  older  Zechariah, 
in  the  time  of  Ahaz,  who  mediated  between  Hosea  and 
Isaiah.  This  seems  to  be  clear  from  the  historical 
Bituation  of  the  prophecy,  which  represents  the  kingdoms 
of  Israel  and  Judah  as  existing  side  by  side,  and  the 
chief  enemies  as  those  of  the  times  of  the  dissolution  of 
the  northern  kingdom.^  Chaps,  xii.-xiv.  came  from  a 
different  hand  from  our  Zechariah.  It  seems  to  us  that 
they  are  post-exilic,  and  that  they  are  later  in  their  origin 
than  the  Zechariah  of  history.  We  shall  first  consider 
the  genuine  predictions  of  Zechariah,  and  then  give  the 
later  section  in  an  appropriate  place. 

III.  THE  GLORY  OF  THE  NEW  JERUSALEM. 

§  109.  Jerusalem  will  he  inhahited  hj  a  vast  midtihide. 
and  will  he  without  walls,  for  Jahvcli  will  be  a  wall  of  fire 
1  See  p.  183. 


MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  TIMES  OF  THE  EESTORATION.      439 

round  about  her,  a  glory  in  her  midst ;  for  He  will  take 
possession  of  it  as  His  royal  residence.  Little  children  and 
the  aged  alike  will  he  found  in  her  streets.  All  nations 
will  lay  hold  of  the  shirt  of  the  Jew,  and  seek  Jahveh  in 
His  holy  city,  and  he  recognised  among  His  jpeople. 

There  are  two  similar  predictions  relating  to  the  new 
Jerusalem,  the  former  in  chap,  ii.,  and  the  later  in  chap, 
viii.     These  may  be  considered  together. 

"  Jerusalem  will  abide  un walled  villages,  because  of  the  multitude 

of  men  and  cattle  in  her  midst, 
And  I  will  become  for  her,  is  the  utterance  of  Jahveh,  a  wall  of 

fire  round  about. 
And  a  glory  will  I  be  in  her  midst. 
Ho,  Ho,  and  flee  from  the  land  of  the  North,  is  the  utterance  of 

Jahveh  ; 
For  as  the  four  winds  of  heaven  have  I  dispersed  you,  is  the 

utterance  of  Jahveh. 
Ho,  Zion,  escape  dweller  with  the  daughter  of  Babylon. 
For  thus  saith  Jahveh  Sabaoth, 

After  glory  hath  he  sent  me  unto  the  nations  which  spoiled  you ; 
For  the  one  touching  you  is  touching  the  apple  of  his  eye. 
For  lo,  I  am  about  to  shake  mine  hand  over  them,  and  they  will 

become  a  spoil  to  those  that  served  them, 
And  ye  shall  know  that  Jahveh  Sabaoth  liath  sent  me. 
Sing  and  rejoice,  daughter  of  Zion, 

For  lo,  I  am  about  to  come  and  dwell  in  your  midst,  is  the  utter- 
ance of  Jahveh  ; 
And  many  nations  will  assemble  unto  Jahveh  in  that  day, 
And  they  will  become  my  people,  and  I  will  dwell  in  thy  midst. 
And  thou  wilt  know  that  Jahveh  Sabaoth  hath  sent  me  unto  thee; 
And  Jahveh  will  inherit  Judah  as  his  inheritance  upon  the  holy 

land, 
And  choose  Jerusalem  again."  — Zech.  ii.  8-17. 

This  prediction  combines  features  of  many  previous 
prophecies,  especially  of  the  great  unknown.  The  vast 
numbers  of  the  population  of  the  new  Jerusalem  are  in 


440  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

accordance  with  Jeremiah's  book  of  comfort/  and  the 
hexameters  of  the  great  unknown.^  Jahveh  a  wall  of  fire 
round  about  Jerusalem,  is  similar  to  the  conception  of 
the  great  apocalypse,  that  salvation  constituted  its  walls 
and  ramparts,^  and  the  thought  of  the  great  unknown,  that 
its  walls  were  called  "  Salvation  "  and  its  gates  "  Praise."  * 
The  call  to  flee  from  Babylon  reminds  us  of  the  refrains 
of  the  great  prophecy  of  the  exile.*  It  shows  that  the 
call  had  to  be  made  again  and  again,  even  after  many  of 
the  exiles  had  returned  to  the  holy  land.  The  doctrine 
that  Jahveh  will  dwell  in  Jerusalem  for  ever,  is  the 
ancient  doctrine  of  the  prophets  that  constantly  recurs 
in  their  writings.®  The  participation  of  the  nations  in 
the  redemption  has  also  become  a  familiar  idea  in 
Messianic  prophecy.^  We  cannot  see,  therefore,  that 
Zechariah  has  added  anything  here  to  the  unfolding  of 
the  Messianic  idea,  beyond  gathering  a  considerable 
number  of  previous  prophecies  in  one  representation. 

The  latter  prediction  is  found  in  chap.  viii.     It  also  is 
chiefly  a  renewal  of  predictions  from  the  great  unknown. 

"  Thus  saith  Jahveh — 

1  have  returned  to  Zion,  and  will  dwell  in  the  midst  of  Jerusalem, 
And  Jerusalem  wnll  be  called    '  the   city  of  fidelity ; '   and   the 

mountain  of  Jahveh  Sabaoth  'the  holy  mountain.' 
Thus  saith  Jahveh  Sabaoth — 
Again  old  men  and   old   women  will  dwell  in  the  streets  of 

Jerusalem, 
Each  with  his  staff  in  his  hand  because  of  great  age  ; 
And  the  streets  of  the  city  will  be  fiUed  with  boys  and  gii'ls 

playing  in  the  streets  thereof. 

^  Jer.  xxxi.  8.     See  p.  247. 

2  Isa.  xlix.  20-21,  liv.  1-3.     See  pp.  382  and  387. 

3  Isa.  xxvi.  1.     See  p.  300.  *  Isa.  Ix.  18.     See  p.  397. 
«  Isa.  xlviii.  20,  Hi.  11,  Ixii.  10.     See  pp.  380,  386,  and  401. 
^'  Joel  iv.  21 ;  Zeph.  iii.  15;  Jer.  iii.  17,  etc     See  pp.  159, 

and  242. 

'  See  especially  Isa.  IxvL  18  ;  p.  405. 


MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  TIMES  OF  THE  RESTORATION.      441 

Thus  saith  Jahveh  Sabaoth— 

Lo,  I  am  about  to  save  my  people  from  the  land  of  the  sunrise 

and  from  the  land  of  sunset, 
And  bring  them,  and  they  will  dwell  in  the  midst  of  Jerusalem, 

and  become  my  people, 
And  I  shall  become  their  God  in  faithfulness  and  in  righteousness. 
Thus  saith  Jahveh  Sabaoth — 

Yet  will  it  be  that  peoples  and  inhabitants  of  great  cities  will  come, 
And  the  inhabitants  of  one  wiU  go  unto  another,  saying, 

*  Let  us  go  on  to  court  the  face  of  Jahveh,' 

*  And  to  seek  Jahveh  Sabaoth,  Let  me  go  also.' 
And  many  peoples  and  strong  nations  will  come 

To  seek  Jahveh  Sabaoth  in  Jerusalem,  and  to  court  the  face  of 

Jahveh. 
Thus  saith  Jahveh  Sabaoth — 
Li  those  days,  when  ten  men  of  all  tongues  of  the  nations  shall 

lay  hold,  they  will  lay  hold  of  the  skirts  of  a  Jewish  man, 

saying, 
*Let  us  go  with  you,  for  we  have  heard  that  God  is  with  you.'" 

— Zech.  viii. 

The  names  given  to  the  new  Jerusalem,  "city  of 
fidelity  "  and  "  holy  mountain,"  resemble  the  names  given 
to  the  city  in  Zephaniah,  Jeremiah,  Ezekiel,  and  the 
great  unknown.^  The  aged  and  the  children  in  the  streets 
of  the  city  remind  us  of  Isa.  Ixv.^  The  finest  scene  in 
this  prophecy  is  the  dramatic  representation  of  the 
nations  exhorting  each  other  to  court  Jahveh.  When 
one  says,  "  Let  us  go  on  to  court  the  face  of  Jahveh,"  the 
other  replies,  "  Let  me  go  also;"  and  then  we  see  them  all 
clinging  to  the  skirt  of  the  Jew,  and  soliciting  his  guid- 
ance to  the  presence  of  Jahveh.  In  these  predictions, 
Zechariah  gathers  up  the  threads  of  previous  prophecies. 

1  Zeph.  iii.  16  ;  .Ter,  xxxiii.  16  ;  Ezek.  xlviii.  35  }  Lsa  U  J  4,  Ixii.  4 

See  pp.  224,  245,  290,  3<}(),  and  40a 

2  Isa.  Ixv.  20.     See  p.  403. 


442  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 


IV.    THE  CROWNING  OF  THE  PEIEST-KING. 

§  110.  The  servant  of  Jalweh,  named  Branch,  is  to  huild 
the  temi)le  of  Jahveh  and  he  its  capstone.  He  combines  the 
priestly  and  royal  ojices  in  His  noble  crown.  He  becomes 
the  perpetual  channel  of  the  divine  grace. 

Zechariah  takes  several  Messianic  terms,  especially 
from  Isaiah  and  Jeremiah,  and  heaps  them  upon  one 
person.  There  are  two  passages  that  may  be  best 
considered  together;  the  first  of  these  is  contained  in 
chaps,  iv.-v. 

"  Hear  now,  O  Joshua  the  high  priest,  thou  and  thy  fellows  that 
sit  before  thee  ;  for  they  are  men  which  are  a  sign  :  ^  for,  behold,  I 
will  bring  forth  my  servant  Branch .^  For,  behold,  the  stone  ^  that 
I  have  set  before  Joshua  ;  upon  one  stone  are  seven  eyes  :  behold, 
I  will  engrave  the  gi'aving  thereof,  saith  Jahveh  Sabaoth,  and  I  will 
remove  the  iniquity  of  that  land  in  one  day.  In  that  day,  saith 
Jahveh  Sabaoth,  shall  ye  call  every  man  his  neighbour  to  come 

^  nSIO  >*Lr:s=men  of  miracle.  They  are  the  signs  and  pledges 
that  Jahveh  has  in  part  fulfilled  His  promises,  and  therefore  will 
enth-ely  fulfil  them. 

2  HD^*  has  here  become  a  proper  name  of  the  Messiah,  owing  to 
its  use  in  Jer.  xxiii.  5,  xxxiii.  15.  See  p.  244.  Compare  Zech. 
vi.  12. 

^  pi^n.  The  stone  placed  before  Joshua  was  regarded  by  the 
older  interpreters  as  the  Messiah,  after  Ps.  cxviii.  22  and  Isa. 
xxviii.  16.  Keil,  Chambers,  and  others  refer  to  the  kingdom  of 
God.  Henderson,  Hitzig,  C.  H.  H.  Wright,  and  others,  think  of  the 
foundation  stone,  but  this  had  already  been  laid  long  ago.  Ewald 
properly  thinks  of  the  capstone,  in  accordance  with  Zech.  iv.  7. 
The  interpretation  of  the  stone  depends  upon  that  of  the  eyes. 
These  are  px  bV-  The  most  natural  view  is  that  the  eyes  were 
graven  on  the  stone,  in  accordance  with  the  following  context.  But 
Keil,  Henderson,  and  Chambers  prefer  to  supply  D""^*,  and  think  of 
the  eyes  as  directed  upou  the  stone  in  loving  care  and  protection. 
The  one  stone  is  compai'ed  with  the  seven  eyes.  The  cherubic 
chariot  of  Ezek.  i.  18  was  full  of  eyes.  The  eyes  represent  the 
sacred  activity  of  the  divine  nil.  Comp.  Zech.  iv.  10 ;  Isa.  xi.  2  ; 
Hev.  V.  6.  The  capstone  of  the  temple  is  full  of  eyes,  as  was  the 
cherubic  chariot.  It  is  fuU  of  the  energy  of  the  divine  life,  it  is  the 
Messiah  Himself. 


MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  TIMES  OF  THE  RESTORATION.      443 

under  ^  the  vine  and  under  the  fig-tree.  And  the  angel  that  talked 
with  me  came  again,  and  waked  me,  as  a  man  that  is  wakened  out 
of  his  sleep.  And  he  said  unto  me,  What  seest  thou  ?  And  I  said, 
I  have  seen,  and  behold,  a  candlestick  all  of  gold,  with  its  bowl 
upon  the  top  of  it,  and  its  seven  lamps  thereon  ;  there  are  seven 
and  seven  ^  pipes  to  the  lamps  which  are  upon  the  top  thereof  :  and 
two  olive  trees  by  it,  one  upon  the  right  side  of  the  bowl,  and  the 
other  upon  the  left  side  thereof.  And  I  answered  and  spake  to  the 
angel  that  talked  with  me,  saying.  What  are  these,  my  lord  1  Then 
the  angel  that  talked  with  me  answered  and  said  unto  me,  Knowest 
thou  not  what  these  be?  And  I  said,  No,  my  lord.  Then  he 
answered  and  spake  unto  me,  saying,  This  is  the  word  of  Jahveh 
unto  Zerubbabel,  saying.  Not  by  force,  nor  by  power,  but  by  my 
spirit,  saith  Jahveh  Sabaoth.  Who  art  thou,  O  great  mountain? 
before  Zerubbabel  become  a  plain  : '  and  he  will  bring  forth  the 
head  stone  with  shoutings  of  '  Grace,  grace,  unto  it.'  Moreover,  the 
word  of  Jahveh  came  unto  me,  saying,  The  hands  of  Zerubbabel 
have  laid  the  foundation  of  this  house  ;  his  hands  shall  also  finish 
it ;  and  thou  wilt  know  that  Jahveh  Sabaoth  hath  sent  me  unto 
you.  For  who  hath  despised  the  day  of  small  things  ?  for  they  shall 
rejoice,  and  shall  see  the  plummet  in  the  hand  of  Zerubbabel,  even 
these  seven,*  the  eyes  of  Jahveh  ;  searching  through  and  through 


^  nnn  bi^  is  pregnant,  implying  the  verb  N3.  This  phrase  for 
peace  and  prosperity  we  have  seen  in  Amos  ix.  14 ;  Micah  iv.  4. 
See  pp.  163  and  182. 

2  nynt^l  riV2^  is  variously  explained.  It  is  generally  taken 
distributively,  seven  by  seven,  that  is,  seven  pipes  for  each  lamp,  so 
the  RV.  But  this  would  be  too  many.  The  LXX.  and  Vulgate 
render  seven  pipes  only.  Hitzig,  Ewald,  and  Henderson  suppose 
that  there  has  been  a  mistake  of  repetition  in  the  Massoretic  text. 
Kohler  and  C.  H.  H.  Wright  take  the  second  seven  as  additional  to 
the  first,  making  two  sets,  one  set  connecting  the  lamps  with  the 
bowl  of  the  reservoir,  the  other  connecting  the  lamps  with  one 
another,  and  regulating  the  flow  of  the  oil.  This  is  best.  For  this 
is  a  great  self-feeding  lamp-stand.  The  olive  trees  produce  the  oil 
and  discharge  it  into  the  reservoir  of  the  lamp-stand,  and  so  the  lamps 
are  ever  supplied  with  an  even  flow  of  oil. 

^  niK^^D^  is  the  same  as  in  Isa.  xl.  4.  It  is  better  to  supply  an 
imperative  than  an  imperfect. 

*  in?0K^1.  The  subject  of  this  verb  is  rhi^  nynC^,  as  Henderson, 
Keil,  Hitzig,  and  Chambers,  with  which  nin^  ':^]}  is  in  api)osition. 
The  rejoicing  eyes  of  the  divine  spirit  are  contrasted  with  the  scorn 
of  the  wordlings.  The  LXX.,  Targum,  Peshitto,  Vulgate,  Ew^ld, 
and  others  find  the  subject  in  ]2  "D- 


444  MESSIANIC  PKOPHECY. 

the  whole  earth.  Then  answered  I  and  said  unto  him,  "What  are 
these  two  olive  trees  upon  the  right  side  of  the  candlestick  and  upon 
the  left  side  thereof  ?  And  I  answered  the  second  time,  and  said 
unto  him,  What  be  these  two  olive  branches,  which  by  means  of  the 
two  golden  spouts  ^  empty  the  golden  oil  out  of  themselves  1  And 
he  answered  me  and  said,  Knowest  thou  not  what  these  be  ?  And 
I  said.  No,  my  lord.  Then  said  he.  These  are  the  two  sons  of  new 
oil,2  that  stand  by  the  Lord  of  the  whole  earth." 

— Zech.  iii.  8-iv.  14. 

The  divine  promise  is  made  to  the  high  priest  Joshua, 
that  the  divine  servant  bearing  the  name  of  Branch  will 
be  brought  fortli.  Branch  is  here  used  as  a  proper  name 
of  the  Messiah,  on  the  basis  of  the  prophecy  of  Jeremiah.^ 
It  is  true  our  prophet  does  not  use  the  name  of  David, 
and  does  not  connect  the  servant  Branch  with  the  son 
of  David,  and  yet  it  is  clear  that  to  Zechariah  Zerubbabel 
has  taken  the  place  of  David,  and  he  looks  for  a  second 
Zerubbabel,  as  Jeremiah  and  Isaiah  had  looked  for  a 
second  David.  The  term  servant  is  used  here  as  in  the 
passage  in  Jeremiah,  and  has  no  connection  with  the 
Messianic  servant  of  the  great  unknown.  The  mention 
■  of  the  servant  Branch  is  only  for  a  moment,  for  the 
prophet  passes  over  to  a  contemplation  of  a  wonderful 
stone  that  is  placed  before  Joshua.  That  stone  has  seven 
eyes  graven  upon  it,  that  represent  the  sevenfold  opera- 
tions of  the  divine  Spirit  as  it  searches  everything  through 
and  through.  These  eyes  engraven  on  the  stone  show 
that  it  could  not  be  the  foundation  stone  upon  which  the 
temple  was  to  be  erected.  It  was  rather  the  crowning 
stone,  the  gable  stone,  the  capstone,  that  was  to  complete 
the  structure.     This  stone  placed  before  Joshua  was  the 

^  D"'i?3t^  is  only  found  here.  It  is  essentially  the  same  as  n^3C^, 
channels,  })ipes.  nnDJV  is  only  found  here ,  a  weaker  form  of  "iVJi'. 
It  is  similar  to  "Ti^V,  cataract,  waterfall. 

^  inVM  ''J3  are  the  anointed  ones,  namely  the  priest  and  the  king. 
p  is  a  noun  of  relation. 

*  Jer.  xjoiii.  5-8,  xxxiii.  14-22.     See  p.  244  seq. 


MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  TIMES  OF  THE  RESTORATION.     445 

assurance  to  him  and  to  Israel  that  the  temple  whose 
foundation  stone  had  long  since  been  laid,  would  even- 
tually be  completed.  The  Divine  Spirit  whose  eyes  looked 
forth  from  the  capstone  placed  before  the  high  priest, 
would  ere  long  look  down  from  the  summit  of  the  com- 
pleted temple.  This  stone  is  another  form  of  the 
Messianic  idea.  As  we  have  had  a  Messianic  corner- 
stone in  Isaiah/  so  we  have  now  a  Messianic  capstone 
here.  The  foundation  and  the  completion  of  the 
temple  are  both  to  be  found  in  the  Messiah  at  His 
advent. 

The  result  of  this  advent  of  the  servant  Branch,  and 
the  completion  of  the  temple  by  the  raising  of  the  cap- 
stone to  its  final  position,  will  be  the  removal  of  sin  and 
the  establishment  of  universal  peace. 

The   prophet  now  sees  a  wonderful  transformation  of 
the  lamp-stand  of  the  temple.     By  its  side,  on  the  right 
and  left,  are  two  olive  trees,  ever  producing  olive  oil  for 
the  lamps.     They  are  connected  with  the  lamp-stand  by 
two   spouts,  which  convey  the  golden  oil  from  the  trees 
into   the   bowl,  which   at  the   summit  of  the  lamp-stand 
serves   as   its   reservoir.     From   this   bowl   seven   pipes 
convey  the  oil  to  the  seven  lamps,  and  there  are  seven 
other  pipes  that  run  around,  connecting  each  lamp  with 
its  neighbour,  so  that  there  is  a  constant  and  an  even 
supply  of  oil.     It  needs  no  ministering  priests  to  supply 
its  lamps  with  oil  and  light.     The  olive  trees,  ever  living 
and    producing    golden   oil,  give    it   a   constant   supply. 
These   olive  trees  are  evidently  the  two  anointed  ones 
that    stand    before    God,  the    anointed    priest    and    the 
anointed  king.     Through  their  ministrations  the  oil  of 
divine  grace  ever  suppjlies  the  lamp-stand  of  the  kingdom 
of  God  with  the  ability  to  shine.     As  in  Jeremiah  the 
holy  city  became  a  great  ark  of  the  covenant  and  throne 
*  Isa.  xxviii.  14-18  ;  Ps.  cxviii.  22-23.     See  p.  208  seq. 


446  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

of  Jahveh,^  so  here  the  new  temple  becomes  a  great  lamp- 
stand,  a  light  to  Israel  and  the  nations. 

It  is  hardly  possible  that  the  prophet  designed  to  pre- 
dict that  Joshua  and  Zerubbabel  would  accomplish  all 
this.  It  is  true  it  is  said  that  Zerubbabel  had  laid  the 
foundations  of  the  temple,  and  he  would  complete  it  with 
a  festival  of  rejoicing.  But  back  of  this  temple  of 
Zerubbabel  is  the  greater  temple  of  Jeremiah,  Ezekiel, 
the  great  unknown  and  Haggai.^  Zechariah  and  his 
hearers  could  not  have  supposed  that  the  temple  of 
Zerubbabel  was  the  realization  of  these  wonderful  ideals, 
or  of  his  own  no  less  marvellous  representation.  The 
temple  of  Zerubbabel  was  a  pledge  of  a  more  glorious 
temple  in  the  future.  So  the  prophet  might  think  of 
Joshua  as  an  anointed  priest,  but  he  could  hardly  have 
thought  that  Zerubbabel  was  an  anointed  king,  though 
he  was  of  the  royal  line  of  Da\'id.  But  Joshua  and 
Zerubbabel  become  to  him  the  types  of  these  great  offices 
which  they  at  the  time  represented,  so  far  as  they  were 
able  under  the  circumstances.  These  offices  will  in  the 
latter  days  transcend  their  ancient  dignity  and  worth. 
The  Messiah,  Branch,  will  come  forth,  realize  the  ideal 
and  become  a  channel  of  divine  OTace,  the  source  of  li^ht 
and  joy  to  the  world.  Mountains  of  difficulty  are  still  in 
the  way.  But  they  will  become  a  j)lain.  Not  by  force 
or  power  will  these  things  be  accomplished,  but  by  the 
Spirit  of  God,  whose  sacred  eyes  search  the  earth  through 
and  tln^ough  for  the  accomplishment  of  the  divine  plan 
of  redemption. 

The  second  prophecy  of  the  servant  named  Branch  is 
contained  in  chap,  vi.,  and  is  in  some  respects  an  en- 
largement of  the  first. 

"  And  the  word  of  Jahveh  came  unto  me,  saying,  Take  of  them 
of  the  captivity,  even  of  Heldai,  of  Tobijah,  and  of  Jedaiah,  and 

1  Jer.  iii.  14-18.     See  p.  242.  «  See  pp.  242,  285. 


MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  TIMES  OF  THE  KESTOEATION.      447 

come  thou  the  same  day,  and  go  into  the  house  of  Josiah  the  son  of 
Zephaniah,  whither  ^  they  are  come  from  Babylon  ;  yea,  take  of 
them  silver  and  gold,  and  make  a  noble  crown,^  and  set  it  upon  the 
head  of  Joshua  the  son  of  Jehozadek,  the  high  priest  ;  and  speak 
unto  him,  saying,  Thus  speaketh  Jahveh  Sabaoth,  saying,  Behold, 
the  man  whose  name  is  Branch  ;  and  he  will  grow  up  out  of  his 
place,  and  he  will  build  the  temple  of  Jahveh  :  even  he  will  build 
the  temple  of  Jahveh  ;  and  he  will  bear  the  glory,  and  will  sit  and 
rule  upon  his  throne  ;  and  he  shall  be  a  priest  upon  his  throne  :  * 
and  the  counsel  of  peace*  will  be  between  them  both.  And  the 
noble  crown  shall  be  to  Helem,  and  to  Tobijah,  and  to  Jedaiah,  and 
to  Hen  ^  the  son  of  Zephaniah,  for  a  memorial  in  the  temple  of 
Jahveh.  And  they  that  are  far  off  will  come  and  build  in  the 
temple  of  Jahveh,  and  ye  will  know  that  Jahveh  Sabaoth  hath  sent 
me  unto  you.  And  it  will  come  to  pass,  if  ye  will  diligently  obey 
the  voice  of  Jahveh  your  God." — Zech.  vi.  9-15. 

This  prediction  enlarges  upon  the  servant  named 
Branch.  It  is  promised  that  he  will  grow  up  out  of  his 
place  and  build  the  temple  of  Jahveh.  This  shows  very 
clearly  that  the  prophet  cannot  think  of  Zerubbabel  or  of 
his  temple ;  for  Zerubbabel  had  already  arisen,  and  was 
engaged  in  the  erection  of  the  new  temple.     The  prophet 

^  1K3  '^^H  is  taken  by  the  Vulgate,  Peshitto,  Targum,  A.V., 
Henderson,  and  many  others  as  a  relative  of  person,  and  is  rendered 
"  who  came."  But  it  is  better  with  E.V.,  after  Ewald,  Hengst., 
Keil,  Chambers,  and  others,  to  render  it  as  a  relative  of  place. 

"^  ri"l"itoy  is  taken  as  a  real  plural  by  the  R.  V.  and  many  interpreters, 
thinking  of  two  crowns,  the  royal  and  the  priestly.  Henderson 
thinks  of  a  double  crown,  and  compares  the  triple  crown  of  the 
papacy.  But  it  is  best,  with  Keil  and  C.  H.  H.  Wright,  to  regard  it 
as  an  intensive  plural,  as  in  Job  xxxi.  36,  and  render  noble  crown  or 
glorious  crown.     Compare  Rev.  xix.  12. 

^  iriD  nTl")  It  seems  most  natural  to  take  jHD  as  predicate,  in 
accordance  with  Psalm  ex.  4,  and  the  repetition  of  1SD3  ;  so  Keil, 
Chambers,  and  most  interpreters.  But  Ewald  and  Hitzig  make  it 
the  subject,  and  so  find  two  persons  and  two  thrones. 

*  whli^  n^y  is  counsel  of  peace,  not  in  the  sense  of  reconciliation 
between  the  two  offices,  but  as  having  peace  as  their  common  design. 
Compare  Isa.  ix.  6,  Mic.  v.  5.     See  pp.  200  and  218. 

^  It  is  better  to  take  |n  as  a  proper  name  in  place  of  Josiah.  But 
Ewald,  Keil,  and  Kohler  interpret  it  as  the  noun  |n  with  the 
Ordinary  meaning,  grace,  favour,  i.e.  that  of  the  son  of  Zephaniah. 


448  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

causes  a  noble  crown  to  be  made  of  the  gold  and  silver 
brought  from  Babylon  by  messengers  from  the  Jews  still 
remaining  there.  This  crown  was  placed  upon  the  head 
of  Joshua,  not  to  crown  him  as  the  Messiah,  but  as  a 
symbol  and  pledge  that  the  Messiah  would  arise  and  be 
crowned  with  such  a  noble  crown.  And  this  crown  was 
preserved  as  a  memorial  and  pledge  in  the  temple  of 
Zerubbabel.  The  Messiah,  named  Branch,  is  to  be  the' 
builder  of  that  temple  of  Jahveh  of  which  the  temple  of 
Zerubbabel  was  the  preparation.  He  will  be  crowned, 
and  will  be  enthroned.  He  will  unite  in  his  crown  the 
royal  and  the  priestly  offices,  for  he  will  sit  on  his  royal 
throne  as  a  priest,  and  the  two  offices  will  combine  in 
him  in  a  ministry  of  peace.  This  is  the  same  priest- 
king  that  we  have  seen  in  Psalm  cx.,^  only  here  he  is 
enthroned  in  peaceful  dominion ;  there  he  was  a  great 
conqueror.  The  priest-king  is  the  same  as  the  branch  of 
Jeremiah,^  and  the  shoot  of  Isaiah,^  and  the  seed  of 
David,  the  temple  builder  of  Nathan's  prophecy.*  It  is 
in  this  prediction  that  Zechariah  advances  the  Messianic 
idea  beyond  any  of  his  predecessors.  Jesus  Christ  of 
Nazareth  is  the  realization  of  these  predictions. 


V.    JAHVEII  IHE  HOLT  KING. 

There  is  a  group  of  psalms,  embracing  xciii.,  xcv.-c, 
and  we  may  add  xlvii.,  that  have  as  their  theme,  "  Jahveh 
doth  reign."  They  all  have  the  same  rhythmical 
structure.  They  are  trimeters  in  strophes  of  twelve  lines 
each,  although  they  have  been  changed  in  some  places 
by  additions  of  a  liturgical  character,  and  in  some  places 
by  insertions  from  the  margin.  It  is  probable  that  the 
most  of  them  were  originally  parts  of  one  great  hymn, 

1  See  p.  132.  -'  See  p.  214.  »  Isa.  xi.     See  p.  201. 

*  2  Sam.  vii.  11-16  ;    2  Cliron.  xvii.  10-14.     See  p.  126. 


MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  TIMES  OF  THE  RESTORATION.      449 

but  it  was  broken  up  for  use  in  the  synagogue  and 
temple,  and  then  the  separate  parts  were  modified  in  the 
places  that  can  be  easily  detected.  It  seems  to  us  that 
these  psalms  all  express  the  joy  and  hopes  of  that  time 
when  the  second  temple  was  first  completed.  They 
follow  naturally  the  prophecies  of  Haggai  and  Zechariah, 
with  which  they  are  in  accord. 

§  111.  Jaliveh  is  the  holy  Jcing  enthroned  in  Zion, 
His  sovereignty  extends  over  the  whole  earth.  All  nature 
rejoices  in  His  advent.  His  reign  is  a  reign  of  justice, 
holiness,  and  manifold  blessings. 

These  psalms  are  full  of  the  thoughts  and  hopes  of 
the  great  unknown,  and  resemble  very  much  those  little 
hymns  that  constitute  the  refrains  of  the  original  edition.^ 

"  Jahveh  doth  reign^  he  is  clothed  with  majesty, 
Jahveh  is  clothed  with  strength,^  he  hath  girded  himself, 
Yea  the  world  is  sustained,  it  cannot  be  moved. 
Thy  throne  is  established  from  of  old,  O  thou  from  everlasting  ; 
The  streams  have  lifted  up,  Jahveh, 
The  streams  have  lifted  up  their  voice, 
The  streams  lift  up  their  roaring 
Above  the  voices  of  many  waters. 
Magnificent  are  the  breakers  of  the  sea, 
Jahveh  on  high  is  magnificent.^ 
Thy  testimonies  are  very  sure,  at  thy  house.* 
Holiness  is  becoming,  Jahveh,  for  length  of  days."— Ps.  xciii 

This  psalm  opens  with  the  words,  "  Jahveh  doth  reign." 
This    is   the  theme    of  the  entire   series.      Jahveh  has 


1  See  p.  340.  , 

2  It  is  best,  with  Ewald,  to  attach  TV  to  {J^n?,  in  accordance  with 
the  parallelism. 

^  Dnns  is  not  in  apposition  with  naSJ^O,  but  is  predicate,  as  in 
the  next  clause. 

*  The  E.V.  follows  Delitzscb,  Hupfeld,  and  Ewald,  and  makes 
three  lines  out  of  the  last  two.  Perowne  makes  two  lines,  but 
attaches  ^nui>  to  the  last  line,  and  spoils  the  rhythm. 

2  F 


450  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

clothed  Himself  with  majesty  and  strength,  and  is  en- 
throned upon  His  everlasting  throne.  The  streams  and 
the  breakers  of  the  sea  rejoice.  Holiness  is  the  chief 
characteristic  of  His  temple. 

I.  "0  come,  let  us  shout  aloud  to  Jahveh, 

O  let  us  make  a  joyful  noise  to  the  rock  of  our  salvation ; 

O  let  us  go  to  meet  his  face  with  thanksgiving, 

With  pieces  of  music  we  shall  make^  a  joyful  noise  to  him. 

For  Jahveh  is  a  great  'El, 

And  a  great  king  above  all  gods, 

In  whose  ^  hands  are  the  deep  places  of  the  earth, 

And  the  heights  of  the  mountains  are  his  ; 

Whose  is  the  sea  ;  and  he  made  it ; 

And  the  dry  land  which  his  hands  formed. 

Come  let  ue  worship  and  let  us  bow  down, 

Let  us  kneel  before  Jahveh  our  maker. 

II.  Verily  he  is  our  God, 

And  we  are  the  people  of  his  pasture,  and  flock  of  his  hand. 

To-day  if  ^  ye  will  hearken  to  his  voice, 

Harden  not  your  heart  as  at  Meribah, 

As  the  day  of  Massa  in  the  wilderness,* 

When  your  fathers  tempted  me, 

Tried  me,  yea  saw  my  work. 

Forty  years  long  was  I  loathing  a  generation.* 


^  The  cohortatives  here  give  place  to  the  simple  indicative.  The 
K.V.  ignores  the  difference. 

2  'y^}^  shows  that  this  is  a  relative  clause.  It  is  improper  to 
make  it  an  independent  clause,  as  the  R.V.  Hupfeld,  Ewald,  and 
others  give  it  correctly. 

^  This  clause  with  DS  niay  be  taken  as  a  wish,  "O  that  ye 
would,"  with  R.V.,  Perowne,  Delitzsch,  and  others.  But  it  is 
better,  with  Heb.  iii.  7,  Hupfeld,  Ewald,  and  Reuss,  to  take  it  as 
conditional. 

*  For  these  historical  references,  see  Ex.  xvii.  1-7 ;  Num.  xx.  1-13 ; 
Deut.  xxxiii.  8. 

^  "in  is  without  the  article,  and  is  emphatically  indefinite,  a 
generation,  that  is  an  entire  generation.  The  imperf.  DIpX  also 
expresses  the  oft-repeated  loathing  of  the  people  on  account  of 
their  repeated  transgression.  It  lasted  during  the  entire  forty 
years. 


MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  TIMES  OF  THE  RESTORATION.      451  ^ 

And  I  said,  *  A  people  of  erring  heart  are  they, 

Not  knowing  my  way  ; '  i 

"When  ^  I  sware  in  my  anger,  1 

*  They  shall  not  enter  into  my  resting-place.' "  1 

— Ps.  xcv.  j 

1 

This  psalm  is  a  call  to  praise  Jahveh,  the  great  king  j 

exalted  above  all  gods  ;  the  creator  of  all  things,  and  the  I 

universal   sovereign.     Its   second    strophe  is  a  warning  i 

based  upon  the  experience  of  Israel  in  the  wilderness.  ; 

I.  "  Sing  unto  Jahveh  a  new  song,^ 
Sing  to  Jahveh,  all  the  earth, 
Sing  to  Jahveh,  bless  his  name. 

From  day  to  day  tell  the  glad  tidings  of  ^  his  salvation,  ! 

Declare  among  the  nations  his  glory,  i 

Among  all  peoples  his  wonders. 
For  great  is  Jahveh,  and  highly  to  be  praised  : 
He  is  to  be  revered  above  all  gods. 
For  all  the  gods  of  the  peoples  are  idols : 
But  Jahveh  made  the  heavens. 
Honour  and  majesty  are  before  him : 
Strength  and  beauty  are  in  his  sanctuary. 

II.  Give  to  Jahveh,  ye  kindreds  of  peoples. 
Give  to  Jahveh  glory  and  strength. 
Give  to  Jahveh  the  glory  due  unto  his  name, 
Lift  up  a  minchah  and  come  into  his  courts. 
Worship  Jahveh  in  holy  array  : 
Tremble  in  his  presence,  all  the  earth. 
Say  among  the  nations,  Jahveh  doth  reign* 
He  judgeth  the  peoples  with  equity. 
Let  heaven  rejoice,  and  let  the  earth  exult ; 
Let  the  sea  roar  and  its  fulness  ; 


'  *y^^  is  a  relative  of  time,  as  Ewald,  and  not  expressive  of 
result,  as  Hupf eld,  Delitzsch,  and  Perowne ;  or  consequence,  "  there- 
fore," as  E.V.,  which  would  require  vav  consec.  of  imperf. 

2  See  Isa.  xlii.  10.  ^  g^^  j^^  ^1.  9,  lii.  7. 

*  We  eliminate  \y\'OT\  72  h2n  ^On  ?!&?,  which  has  come  in  from  the 
marginal  reference  to  xciii.  2. 


452  MESSIANIC  rEOPHECT. 

Let  the  field  exult,  and  all  that  is  therein. 

Then  let  all  the  trees  of  the  wood  shout  for  joy."  ^ — Vs,  xcvi. 

Tliis  is  another  summons  to  praise  Jahveh,  and  to 
declare  the  glad  tidings  of  His  salvation  and  His  glory 
among  the  nations.  It  is  in  the  style  of  the  great 
unknown.  Jahveh  is  exalted  above  all,  and  is  worthy 
of  reverence  and  praise,  for  He  alone  is  the  creator. 
Honour  and  majesty,  strength  and  beauty  are  in  His  temple. 
The  second  strophe  is  a  universal  call.  All  nations  are 
to  unite  in  the  praise  of  Jahveh,  and  in  the  sacrificial 
worship  in  the  courts  of  His  temple.  For  Jahveh  doth 
reign  over  all  nations,  and  universal  nature  rejoices. 

L  "  Jahveh  doth  reign,  let  the  earth  exult  j 
Let  the  many  coasts  be  glad. 
Clouds  and  darkness  are  round  about  him  : ' 
Righteousness  and  justice  are  the  basis  of  his  throne. 
Fire  goeth  before  him, 

And  it  burneth  up  his  adversaries  round  about. 
His  lightnings  light  up  the  world  ; 
The  earth  doth  see  and  writhe, 

The  mountains  do  melt  like  wax  from  before  Jahveh, 
From  before  the  Lord  of  the  whole  earth. 
The  heavens  do  declare  his  righteousness, 
And  all  the  peoples  do  see  his  glory. ^ 

*  We  also  regard  the  lines 

as  an  added  refrain ;  comp.  Ps.  xcviii.  9.    It  was  possibly  for  a 
responsive  chorus  in  the  liturgical  worship. 

2  The  distich  of  ver.  7  has  a  ditferent  movement.     The  first  line 
is  a  pentameter. 

"All  they  that  serve  graven  images,  that  boast  themselves  of  idols, 
will  be  ashamed : 
Worship  him,  all  ye  gods." 
It  reminds  us  of  similar  pentameters  in   Isa.  xli.  11-12,  xlii.  17, 
xlv.  16,  etc.     It  seems  to  us  that  they  are  a  later  addition.    Possibly 
they  were  for  responsive  song. 


MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  TIMES  OF  THE  RESTORATION.      453 

II.  Zion  heard  and  rejoiced, 

And  the  daughter  of  Judah  exulted  ; 

Because  of  thy  judgments,  Jahveh. 

For  thou,  Jahveh,  art  'Eljon  above  all  the  earth : 

Thou  art  exalted  highly  above  all  gods. 

Ye  who  love  Jahveh,  hate  evil ; 

Keeper  of  the  persons  of  his  favoured  ones, 

From  the  hand  of  the  wicked  he  delivereth  them. 

Light  is  sown  for  the  righteous. 

And  joy  for  the  upright  in  heart. 

Eejoice,  ye  righteous,  in  Jahveh, 

And  give  thanks  to  his  holy  memory."  — ^Ps.  xcvii. 

This  psalm  begins  in  the  same  way  as  Ps.  xciii. 
God  is  enthroned  upon  a  lofty  throne  that  is  founded  on 
justice  and  righteousness.  His  messengers  are  lightnings. 
These  execute  His  judgments.  He  is  sovereign  of  the 
whole  earth.  The  heavens  declare  His  righteousness, 
and  all  nations  see  His  glory.  Zion  has  especial  joy 
in  beholding  the  divine  judgments.  They  are  for  her 
deliverance  and  glory.  The  righteous  are  called  upon  to 
rejoice,  and  give  thanks  in  the  remembrance  of  the 
holiness  of  their  God. 

L  ^^Sing  to  Jahveh  a  new  sonff,  for  he  hath  done  wonders; 
Ms  right  hand  and  holy  arm  hath  gained  him  victory. 
Jahveh  hath  made  known  his  salvation^  in  the  eyes  of  the  nations 

hath  revealed  his  righteoiisness ; 
Hath  reme7nbered  his  mercy  and  his  faithfulness  to  the  house  of 

Israel. 
All  the  ends  of  earth  have  seen  the  salvation  of  our  God, 

II.  Make  a  joyful  noise  to  Jahveh,  all  the  earth; 
Break  forth  and  sing  for  joy,  and  sing  praises  ; 
Sing  praises  unto  Jahveh  with  the  harp, 
With  the  harp  and  the  voice  of  melody, 
With  trumpets  and  sound  of  cornet ; 
Make  a  joyful  noise  before  the  king  Jahveh. 
Let  the  sea  roar,  and  its  fulness : 
The  world,  and  they  that  dwell  therein  ; 
Let  the  streams  clap  their  hands. 


454  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

Let  the  mountains  sing  for  joy  together  ^ 
Before  Jakveh,for  he  cometh  tojtcdge  the  earth. 
He  loill  judge  the  world  with  Hghteousness^  and  the  people  with 
equity'  — Ps.  xcviii. 

This  psalm  resembles  Psalm  xcvi.  in  the  opening  call 
to  sing  a  new  song,  but  the  five  lines  with  which  it 
begins  are  not  trimeters,  but  pentameters.  They  must 
either  be  a  later  liturgical  addition,  or  else  designed  to 
be  sung  by  a  different  voice.  These  lines  resemble  the 
introduction  and  the  refrains  of  the  great  unknown.^  The 
psalm  closes  with  two  pentameter  lines.  Thus  the  psalm, 
as  we  have  it  at  present,  is  a  trimeter  enclosed  in  penta- 
meters. The  psalm  was  probably  sung  by  two  different 
voices,  with  different  movement.  It  is  a  call  to  a  new 
song  in  praise  of  the  wonders  of  salvation  wrought  by 
the  holy  arm  of  Jahveh,  which  have  been  displayed 
before  the  whole  earth.  In  view  of  this,  all  mankind  are 
called  to  praise  Him  with  all  kinds  of  musical  instru- 
ments, and  universal  nature  breaks  in  with  its  chorus. 

I.  ^^  Jahveh  doth  reign,  the  peoples  tremble, 

Enthroned  upon  the  cherubim,  the  earth  moveth. 

Jahveh  in  Zion  is  great, 

And  he  is  high  over  all  peoples  ; 

Let  them  praise  thy  great  and  terrible  name : 

Holy  is  he. 

A  king's  strength  loveth  justice  ; 

Thou  hast  prepared  justice  in  uprightness. 

And  righteousness  in  Jacob  thou  hast  made. 

Exalt  Jahveh  our  God, 

And  worship  at  his  footstool^ 

Holy  is  he. 

II.  Moses  and  Aaron  among  his  priests. 

And  Samuel  among  those  calhng  on  his  name, 
Callers  unto  Jahveh,  he  used  to  answer  them. 


1  Compare  Isa.  Iv.  12. 

'  See  Isa.  xl.  5,  10,  H.  9,  hi.  10,  Ixii.  8. 


MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  TIMES  OF  THE  RESTOKATION.      455 

In  the  pillar  of  cloud  he  used  to  speak  unto  them  ; 

They  kept  his  testimonies 

And  the  ordinance  he  gave  them. 

Jahveh  our  God,  thou  didst  answer  them, 

A  forgiving  'El  wast  thou  to  them, 

And  avenging  upon  their  deeds. 

Exalt  Jahveh  our  God^ 

And  u'orship  ye  at  his  holy  mountairiy 

For  holy  is  Jahveh  our  God"  — Ps.  xcix. 

This  psalm  begins  with  the  great  theme,  "  Jahveh  doth 
reign."  Jahveh  is  enthroned  upon  the  cherubim  in  Zion, 
and  exalted  above  all  nations  ;  above  all  He  is  holy. 
This  is  the  refrain  of  the  psalm,  and  gives  it  its  chief 
characteristic.  The  ancient  history  is  recalled,  as  in 
Psalm  xcv.,  as  an  inducement  to  worship.  Moses  and 
Aaron  and  Samuel  were  heard  and  answered.  The  pillar 
of  cloud  and  fire  was  the  form  of  the  theophany  from 
which  He  spake  to  them.  He  forgave  them  their  sins. 
How  much  more  now  on  Zion,  His  holy  mountain,  will 
He  prove  Himself  a  righteous  and  holy  Saviour  1 

"  Shout  to  Jahveh,  all  the  earth  ; 
Serve  Jahveh  with  joy  ; 
Come  before  him  with  singing. 
Know  that  Jahveh,  he  is  God. 
He  made  us,  and  we  are  his,^ 
His  people  and  the  sheep  of  his  pasture. 
Come  to  his  gates  with  thanksgiving. 
To  his  courts  with  praise. 
Thank  him,  bless  his  name, 
For  Jahveh  is  good  ; 
His  mercy  is  for  ever. 
And  unto  all  generations  his  faithfulness."       — Ps.  c. 

^  ^\  the  Kethibh,  "  and  not  we  ourselves,"  is  sustained  by  the 
LXX.,  Vulgate,  Peshitto,  and  A.Y.  The  Qeri  'h  is  supported  by 
Jerome,  the  Targum,  and  Sa<idia,  and  has  been  adopted  by  most 
modern  scholars,  and  by  the  E.V.  It  is  better  suited  to  the 
parallelism. 


456  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

This  psalm  is  composed  of  a  single  stroplie,  a  call  to 
praise.  It  is  based  on  the  thought  of  Isa.  xl.  11,  that 
Jahveh  was  the  shepherd  and  Israel  the  flock  of  his 
hand.  They  are  therefore  exhorted  to  praise  Him  in 
His  courts,  and  render  thanks  for  His  goodness,  His  ever- 
lasting mercy  and  His  faithfulness. 

Psalm  xlvii.  so  much  resembles  the  group  just  con- 
sidered, that  it  seems  to  belong  to  the  same  time. 

L  "  Clap  the  hands,  all  peoples  ; 

Shout  unto  God  with  the  voice  of  triumph  1 

For  Jahveh  'Ely on  is  awe-inspiring, 

A  great  king  over  all  the  earth. 

He  subdueth^  peoples  under  us, 

And  nations  under  our  feet ! 

He  chooseth  for  us  our  inheritance, 

The  excellency  of  Jacob,  whom  he  loves.* 

God  is  gone  up  with  a  shout, 

Jahveh  with  the  soimd  of  a  trumpet. 

II.  Play  ye  to  God,  play  ye  ; 
Play  ye  to  our  king,  play  ye  ; 
For  God  is  king  of  all  the  earth  ; 
Play  ye  a  maskil.* 
God  reigns  over  the  nations  ; 
God  is  enthroned  on  his  holy  throne. 
The  nobles  of  the  peoples  have  assembled, 
The  people  of  the  God  of  Abraham  : 
For  God's  are  the  shields  of  earth  ; 
He  is  greatly  exalted." 


1  inT'  is  only  found  here  and  in  Ps.  xviii.  48  in  this  sense.     See 

"D.  145. 

'  2  Perowne  follows  the  selah,  and  divides  here,  making  the  strophes 
unequal.  Delitzsch  divides  here,  and  makes  a  third  strophe  of  the 
List  four  lines.  But  the  selah  is  no  safe  guide  to  strophical  organiza- 
tion.    The  strophes  are  exactly  equal  and  symmetrical. 

8  "We  prefer  to  leave  ^3^0  untranslated,  because  it  is  not  clear 
what  was  the  exact  meaning  of  this  technical  word  for  a  kind  of 
psalm.  The  KV.  renders  in  the  text "  with  understanding,"  ignoring 
the  technical  word  altogether.  In  the  margin  it  gives  "  in  a  skilful 
psalm."  So  Perowne,  "  in  skilful  strains,"  after  Ewald.  But  this  can 
hardly  be  Siiid  to  have  been  established  as  the  meaning  appropriate 
to  all  passages. 


MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  TIMES  OF  THE  RESTORATION.      45*7 

This  psalm  is  likewise  a  summons  to  praise  Jahveh, 
the  great  king  over  all  the  earth.  It  resembles  Psalm 
Ixviii.  in  the  reference  to  the  triumphal  ascent  to  Zion 
with  the  sound  of  trumpet.^  The  second  strophe  is  a  call 
to  praise  with  musical  instruments.  God  reigns  over  all 
nations  from  His  holy  throne,  the  nobles  of  all  nations 
are  there  assembled,  and  the  shields  of  heroes  from  all 
parts  of  the  earth  are  hung  up  in  His  palace.  He  is  the 
universal  king,  highly  exalted  over  all. 


VI.  THE  LAND  OF  THE  GLORY  OF  JAHVEH. 

§  112.  JaJiveh  will  restore  the  prosperity  of  His  people. 
His  glory  will  dwell  in  the  larid,  and  the  divine  attributes 
meet  in  sweet  communion.  Earth  and  heaven  luill  respond 
to  each  other  in  friendship.  The  soil  will  he  fruitful,  the 
cattle  inmtmeraUe,  and  the  children  of  the  land  vnll  he  full 
grown  and  beautiful.      There  will  he  universal  peace  and 

I.  "  Thou  hast  been  favourable,  Jahveh,  to  thy  land, 
Thou  hast  restored  the  prosperity  of  Jacob, 
Thou  hast  pardoned  the  iniquity  of  thy  people, 
Thou  hast  covered  all  their  sins. 
Thou  hast  withdrawn  all  thy  fury, 
Thou  hast  turned  from  the  heat  of  thine  anger. 
Restore  us,  O  God  of  our  salvation. 
And  cause  thine  indignation  with  us  to  cease. 
For  ever  wilt  thou  be  angry  at  us  ? 
Wilt    thou    draw    out    thine  anger  to  generation  after 

.generation  1 
Wilt  thou  not  quicken  us  again, 
That  thy  people  may  rejoice  in  thee  % 
Show  us  thy  mercy,  Jahveh, 
And  give  to  us  thy  salvation. 


See  p.  432. 


458  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

II.  Let  me  hear  what  'El  will  speak, 
Jahveh,^  yea,  he  speaks  peace 
Unto  his  people,  and  unto  his  favoured  ones, 
But  let  them  not  return  to  folly. 
Surely  his  salvation  is  near  to  those  that  fear  him, 
That  glory  may  dwell  in  our  land  ; 
Mercy  and  faithfulness  are  met  together, 
Eighteousness  and  peace  have  kissed, 
Faithfulness  sprouteth  out  of  the  earth, 
And  righteousness  bendeth  down  from  heaven. 
Yea,  Jahveh  giveth  welfare, 
And  our  land  giveth  its  produce. 
Bighteousness  goeth  before  him, 
That  it  may  direct  ^  in  the  way  of  his  footsteps." — Ps.  Ixxxv. 

The  first  strophe  begins  with  a  thankful  recognition 
of  tlie  mercy  of  God  in  the  past.  He  has  accomphslied 
His  promises  and  restored  the  exiles  to  the  holy  land, 
and  forgiven  all  their  sins.^  But  there  is  still  great 
need  of  the  divine  favour  and  blessinsj.  What  has  been 
accomplished,  forms  the  basis  for  the  plea  with  which  the 
strophe  closes,  that  prosperity  may  be  restored  to  the 
land,  and  that  the  divine  anger  may  altogether  cease. 
The  blessings  have  only  been  realized  in  part;  the 
entreaty  is  for  the  full  measure  of  the  divine  salvation. 

The  second  strophe  gives  the  divine  promise  in 
response  to  the  petition.  The  divine  salvation  is  near 
to  those  that  fear  him.  They  are  first  warned  lest  they 
should  again  commit  folly.  The  prediction  then  rises 
to  those  wondrous  heights  in  which  the  great  unknown 
moves.  The  divine  glory  is  to  dwell  in  the  holy  land. 
The  divine  attributes  are  to  meet  in  it  in  loving  union. 

^  nin''  is  usually  attached  to  the  previous  line.  But  the  rhythm 
requires  that  we  should  have  three  lines  here  and  not  two.  And 
the  parallelism  is  more  complete  with  a  divine  name  in  the  two 
lines. 

2  Di;;"*  is  jussive.     Tt  is  best,  therefore,  to  take  it  as  a  final  clause 

with  weak  Vav. 

^  Compare  Isa.  xliv.  22. 


MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  TBIES  OF  THE  RESTORATION.      459 

They  will  descend  from  heaven  and  spring  up  from  the 
earth,  coming  from  all  parts  to  the  centre  of  the  land  of 
divine  blessing,  to  Zion  the  holy  place  of  the  restoration. 
The  divine  mercy  and  the  divine  faithfulness  coming  from 
different  directions,  meet  together  in  Zion.  Eighteous- 
ness  and  peace  have  been,  as  it  were,  long  absent  from 
one  another.  When  they  meet  they  kiss  as  the  dearest 
friends.  Faithfulness  springs  forth  from  the  earth  to 
meet  the  divine  righteousness  that  bends  down  from  the 
heavens.  Eighteousness  becomes  the  guide  of  the  people 
to  conduct  them  in  the  footsteps  of  Jahveh.  The  land 
again  becomes  wonderfully  fruitful,  and  prosperity  is 
restored. 

Ps.  cxliv.  12-15  is  a  little  pentameter  poem  that  has 
in  some  way  been  attached  to  a  trimeter  psalm.  It 
describes  the  felicity  of  the  land  of  Jahveh. 

"  When  ^  our  sons  are  as  plants,  grown  up  in  their  youth, 
Our  daughters  as  corner  stones,  hewn  after  the  fashion  of  a  palace; 
Our  garners  are  full,  affording  all  manner  of  store  ; 
Our  sheep  bringing  forth  thousands,  ten  thousands  in  our  fields  ; 
Our  kine  are  great  with  young  ;  there  is  no  breaking  in  through 

our  thorn-hedges  ;  ^ 
And  there  is  no  going  forth  to  war,  and  no  cry  of  alarm  in  our 

streets  ; 
Happy  the  people  when  ^  they  have  it  so  ; 
Happy  the  people,  when  Jahveh  is  their  God." 

VII.    THE  IDEAL  MAN  TRIUMPHANT  OVER  EVIL. 

The  psalms  just  considered  have  described  the  blessed- 
ness of  the  land  in  which  Jahveh  dwells,  and  the  people 

'^  l^a  greatly  perplexes  interpreters,  who  try  to  find  a  connection 
with  the  previous  context.     It  is  a  relative  of  time. 

^  We  insert  the  rare  word  |^  of  Job  v.  5  and  Prov.  xxii.  5,  "  thorn 
hedge,"  and  with  the  sufiix  ^3••J^;  after  |^"iQ.  The  LXX.  implies 
some  such  word  in  its  KocTccTrrai^a,  (ppuyi^ov.  It  was  easy  for  a 
copyist  to  leave  out  |V  or  1:''J^f  between  pD  and  pt^"). 

The  n33B^  is  for  an  older  HDD  Dk^i<,  as  the  rhythm  requires. 


460  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

that  enjoy  His  favour.  Ps.  xci.  gives  a  picture  of  the 
happy  lot  of  the  pious  man  who  is  in  intimate  communion 
with  God,  and  is  triumphant  over  all  evil. 

§  113.  The  pious  man  vjho  is  in  intimate  communion 
with  God,  will  he  delivered  from  perils  of  every  kind.  He 
will  he  sustained  hy  angels,  aiid  he  lord  of  the  anirnals, 

I.  "  He  wlio  dwells  in  the  secret  place  of  'Elyon, 
Abideth  in  the  shadow  of  Shadday, 
Saying  ^  of  Jahveh,  '  My  refuge, 
And  my  fortress,  my  God  in  whom  I  trust ;' 
Surely  he  will  deliver  thee  from  the  snare  of  the  fowler, 
From  the  noisome  jiestilence. 
With  his  pinions  may  he  cover  thee,^ 
That  thou  mayest  take  refuge  under  his  wings. 

II.  A  shield  and  buckler  is  his  faithfulness. 

Thou  wilt  not  be  afraid  of  the  terror  by  night, 

Of  the  arrow  that  flieth  by  day, 

Of  the  pestilence  that  walketh  in  darkness, 

Of  the  destruction  that  wasteth  at  noonday, 

Though  2  a  thousand  fall  at  thy  side. 

And  ten  thousand  at  thy  right  hand ; 

Unto  thee  it  will  not  come  nigh, 

Only  with  thine  eyes  thou  wilt  behold, 

And  the  recompense  of  the  wicked  thou  wilt  see. 


^  "l)Oi<  of  the  Massoretic  text  is  first  person,  imperfect.  But  this 
seems  inconsistent  with  the  context,  and  it  troubles  interpreters  to 
give  a  satisfactory  explanation.  Ewald  makes  it  in  aj)position 
with  the  subject  of  the  previous  participles.  Delitzsch  divides  the 
psalm  between  three  voices,  assigning  the  first  and  second  lines  to 
the  first  voice,  the  third  and  fourth  to  a  second  voice,  and  then 
makes  the  first  voice  resume  in  the  fifth  line.  The  third  voice  closes 
the  psalm.  But  the  second  voice  hjis  too  little  to  do,  having  only 
two  lines  here  and  one  line  in  ver.  9.  It  is  better  to  follow  the 
LXX.,  Peshitto,  and  Jerome,  with  Hupfeld,  Perowne,  and  others, 
and  read  l^N  or  "irpi<v 

2  It  is  better  to  give  the  jussive  '^D''  its  force. 

*  It  is  better,  with  Delitzsch,  to  take  i?D'»  as  hypothetical 


MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  TIMES  OF  THE  RESTORATION.      461 

III.  Since  Jahveh,  my  refuge, 

'Elyon,  thou  hast  made  thy  dwelling  place/ 
Evil  will  not  befall  thee, 
And  plague  will  not  approach  thy  tent ; 
For  he  will  give  his  angels  charge  over  thee, 
To  keep  thee  in  all  thy  ways ; 
Upon  their  palms  they  will  bear  thee  up, 
Lest  thou  dash  thy  foot  against  a  stone. 
Upon  the  roaring  lion  thou  wilt  tread, 
And  thou  wilt  trample  under  foot  the  young  lion  and 
serpent. 

lY.  Because  he  doth  set  his  love  on  me,^  '* 

I  will  deliver  him,  I  will  set  him  on  high, 
Because  he  doth  know  my  name. 
When  he  calleth,  I  will  answer  him, 
I  will  be  with  him  in  trouble, 
I  will  strengthen  him,  yea,  I  shall  honour  him ; 
"With  length  of  days  I  will  satisfy  him, 
And  I  will  show  him  my  salvation." 

This  beautiful  psalm  presents  the  ideal  man  living  in 
communion  with  God,  and  accordingly  delivered  from  all 
evil.  Such  an  experience  could  not  be  found  in  times  of 
exile  and  sin,  but  only  in  times  of  prosperity,  and  in  the 
holy  land  of  Jahveh.  The  ideal  man  can  appear  only 
in  ideal  times,  and  in  an  ideal  land  and  nation.  The 
land  of  the  divine  blessing  involves  the  man  of  the  divine 
blessing.  The  ideal  man  of  Ps.  viii.^  and  of  the  Prot- 
evangelium  *  here  reaches  the  height  of  its  representation. 
The  supremacy  over  all  evil  has  been  achieved.  The 
serpent   is   trampled   under   foot,  and  paradise  and  the 


^  The  difficulty  of  these  two  lines  arises  from  the  emphatic 
position  of  nriN,  and  the  fact  that  its  verb  is  in  the  second  line. 
The  thought  of  the  Psalmist  is  this  :  "  Jahveh  is  my  refuge  ; "  and 
since  thou  hast  made  him  also  thy  dwelling-place,  all  these  benefits 
will  come  to  you.  Delitzsch  takes  the  first  line  as  the  first  voice, 
and  the  second  line  as  the  second.     Some  insert  m)DX. 

^  The  remainder  of  the  psalm  is  a  divine  promise. 

»  See  p.  146.  ^  Gen.  iii.  14,  15.    See  p.  71  seq. 


462  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

divine  communion  are  regained.  It  was  appropriate  that 
Satan  should  cite  this  passage  in  the  temptation  of  the 
Messiah  and  apply  it  to  Jesus.-^  It  had  its  application 
to  Him,  but  not  at  the  time  of  the  temptation,  or  during 
the  period  of  His  humiliation.  It  is  a  picture  of  the 
risen  and  glorified  Messiah,  who  achieved  the  ideal  man- 
hood of  our  race  by  His  triumph  over  sin  and  Satan  and 
all  evil. 

The  section  of  Zechariah  embraced  in  chaps,  xii.-xiv. 
is  an  apocalypse  that  stands  by  itself  with  its  title, 
and  without  indication  of  author  or  time  of  composition. 
It  was  appended  to  Zechariah,  in  ancient  times,  with  the 
message  already  considered.^  It  is  placed  by  many 
critics  in  the  times  of  Jeremiah,  but  the  teudency  at 
present  is  to  regard  it  as  post-exilic.  Indeed,  it  shows 
dependence  upon  the  predictions  of  Ezekiel  and  the 
great  unknown.  It  seems  to  reflect  a  situation  some- 
what later  than  the  governorship  of  Zerubbabel,  when 
the  bright  prospects  of  the  previous  predictions  had 
become  somewhat  darkened.  These  chapters  constitute 
a  single  piece,  and  yet  there  are  two  Messianic  ideas 
that  should  be  considered  apart,  although  they  are 
mingled  in  the  prophecy.  The  suffering  Messiah  is 
connected  with  the  final  distress  at  Jerusalem,  just  as 
we  have  seen  it  to  be  the  case  in  Daniel.^  We  sliall 
first  examine  the  predictions  of  the  suffering  Messiah, 
and  then  the  predictions  of  the  great  judgment  and  its 
consequences. 

VIIL    THE  SMITTEN  ;BHEPHERD. 

§  114.   The  house   of  David    and    the    inhabitants  of 
Jerusalem  lament  in  penitential  sorrow   the   death  of  their 
1  Matt.  iv.  6.  2  ggg  p^  133^  3  d^^h.  ix.  24-27. 


MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  TIMES  OF  THE  RESTOEATION.      463 

rejected  sheyherd.  He  has  been  smitten  hy  the  sword  of 
Jahveh  for  the  salvation  of  the  flock.  And  a  fountain  is 
opened  to  wash  away  all  sin. 

There  are  two  passages,  the  first  the  lamentation  over 
the  rejected  shepherd,  and  the  other  the  smiting  of  the 
shepherd  by  Jahveh.  It  seems  better  to  treat  the  latter 
first. 

"Awake,  O  sword,  against  my  shepherd,  and  against  the  man 
that  is  my  fellow,^  saith  Jahveh  Sabaoth  :  smite  the  shepherd,  and 
the  sheep  will  be  scattered  ;  and  I  will  turn  mine  hand  upon  the 
little  ones.  And  it  will  come  to  pass,  that  in  all  the  land,  is  the 
utterance  of  Jahveh,  two  parts  therein  will  be  cut  off  and  die  ;  but 
the  third  will  be  left  therein.  And  I  will  bring  the  third  part 
through  the  fire,  and  will  refine  them  as  silver  is  refined,  and  will 
try  them  as  gold  is  tried :  they  will  call  on  my  name,  and  I  will 
hear  them  :  I  will  say.  It  is  my  people  ;  and  they  will  say, '  Jahveh 
is  my  God.' " — Zech.  xiii.  7-9. 

This  shepherd  is  a  ruler  of  the  people,  rather  than 
a  prophet.  The  shepherd  is  smitten  to  death  by  the 
sword.  He  is  engaged  in  war  at  the  head  of  his  flock, 
and  is  defeated  by  the  enemy,  as  was  Josiah  on  the 
battle-field  at  Megiddo.  His  fall  results  in  the  flight 
of  his  army,  and  great  suffering.  They  pass  through 
the  furnace  of  affliction,  and  two-thirds  of  them  are  cut 
off,  and  only  a  third  are  preserved.  These  are  saved  by 
Jahveh.  The  little  ones  of  the  flock  call  upon  Him,  and 
He  turns  His  hand  upon  them  and  delivers  them.  The 
shepherd  is  here  the  martyr  shepherd  of  his  people, 
like  the  martyr  prince  of  Daniel,^  rather  than  the  martyr, 
servant  of  the  great  unknown,^  although  both  alike 
suflfer  for  the  sins  of  the  people  under  the  divine  infliction 

^  rT'Dy  is  only  found  here  and  in  the  priestly  document  of  the 
Pentateuch,  where  it  has  the  meaning,  neighbour,  fellow.  It 
implies  companionship  and  association.  This  shepherd  is  indeed 
the  one  appointed  by  Jahveh  to  have  charge  of  the  flock,  Israel. 

2  Dan.  ix.  26.    See  p.  422.  »  Isa.  Hii.     See  p.  356  seq. 


464  MESSIANIC  PKOPHECY. 

of  judgment.  Our  Saviour  applies  this  prophecy  to 
Himself  on  the  night  of  His  betrayal,  as  the  one  who 
was  servant  and  prince  in  one.^ 

In  the  other  section  we  behold  the  people  lamenting 
over  their  smitten  shepherd. 

"  And  I  will  pour  upon  the  house  of  David,  and  upon  the  inhabit- 
ants of  Jerusalem,  the  spirit  of  grace  and  of  supplication  ;  and 
they  vnll  look  unto  me  ^  whom  they  have  pierced :  and  they  will 
mourn  for  him,  as  one  mourneth  for  his  only  son  ;  and  will  be  in 
bitterness  for  him,  as  one  that  is  in  bitterness  for  his  first-born. 
In  that  day  will  there  be  a  great  mourning  in  Jerusalem,  as  the 
mourning  of  Hadadrimmon  in  the  valley  of  Megiddon.  And  the 
land  will  mourn,  every  family  apart ;  the  family  of  the  house  of 
David  apart,  and  their  wives  apart ;  the  family  of  the  house  of 
Nathan  apart,  and  their  wives  apart  ;  the  family  of  the  house  of 
Levi  apart,  and  their  wives  apart ;  the  family  of  the  Shimeites 
apart,  and  their  wives  apart ;  all  the  families  that  remain,  every 
family  apart,  and  their  wives  apart.  In  that  day  there  will  be  a 
fountain  opened  to  the  house  of  David,  and  to  the  inhabitants  of 
Jerusalem,  for  sin  and  for  uncleanness." — Zech.  xii.  10-xiii.  1. 

The  prophet  here  uses  the  defeat  of  the  army  of 
Josiah  at  Megiddo,  and  the  death  of  the  heroic  prince 
on  the  battle-field,  together  with  the  lamentation  for  him 
that  burst  forth  all  over  the  land,^  as  a  symbol  of  the 
greater  calamity  that  will  befall  the  nation  in  the  rejection 
and  death  of  their  Messiah.  Josiah  was  sustained  by 
his  people,  and  when  he  fell  the  nation   fell  with  him. 

1  Matt.  xxvi.  31-32  ;  Mark  xiv.  27. 

2  '•(jx  is  difficidt.  The  suffix  refers  to  Jahveh,  who  is  the  speaker. 
In  what  sense  can  it  be  said  that  Jahveh  was  pierced  ?  This  is 
explained  by  Keil  as  a  slaying  of  the  mn''  "IN^D,  but  this  theophany 
was  no  less  divine  than  Jaliveh  Himself.  It  is  best,  with  Hitzig, 
Kbhler,  Umbreit,  and  C.  H.  H.  Wright,  to  think  of  the  identification 
of  Jahveh  with  His  servant.  There  is  insufficient  external  authority, 
and  little  internal  evidence,  to  justify  the  reading  vbx,  although  the 
change  is  an  easy  one,  and  it  is  defended  by  Ewald,  Geiger, 
Kennicott,  and  others.  John  xix.  37  applies  this  passage  to  the 
crucified  Jesus,  as  the  rejected  and  pierced  Messiah. 

«  See  2  Kings  xxiii.  2d, 


MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  TIMES  OF  THE  RESTORATION.     465 

But  the  martyr  prince  Zechariah  has  in  view,  is  not 
slain  by  the  enemy,  but  is  rejected,  and  is  thrust  through 
by  his  own  people,  who  refuse  to  follow  him  into  the 
struggle  with  their  enemies.  In  the  previous  passage 
the  sword  of  Jahveh  smote  him ;  here  the  people  pierce 
Jahveh  when  they  reject  His  shepherd.  This  apparent 
inconsistency  is  resolved  when  we  consider  that  Jahveh 
is  the  sovereign  who  controls  the  destiny  of  all.  The 
enemies  of  His  people  are  the  sword  of  judgment  in  His 
hands  to  chastise  them  for  their  sins.  Hence,  when  the 
martyr  shepherd  falls  by  the  hands  of  the  enemies,  he 
falls  by  the  divine  infliction  of  judgment.  But  he  falls 
not  because  he  is  displeasing  to  Jahveh.  He  is  rather 
His  own  shepherd.  His  fellow  whom  He  has  given  charge 
of  His  flock.  He  falls  because  of  the  sins  of  the  people 
whose  shepherd  he  is.  The  shepherd  gives  his  life  for 
His  flock.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  the  flock  refuse  to 
follow  him,  they  reject  his  leadership,  and  when  the 
crisis  of  the  struggle  comes,  abandon  him  and  leave 
him  alone  to  sustain  the  conflict.  Hence,  when  the 
enemies  of  his  people  thrust  him  through  and  slay 
him,  those  who  rejected  him  have  dealt  him  the 
blow,  and  in  slaying  him  they  have  pierced  Jahveh 
Himself  in  His  representative.  Thus  it  was  when  Jesus 
was  left  alone  to  die  upon  the  cross  for  the  sins  of-men. 
The  Eoman  soldiers  pierced  him,  but  His  own  people 
were  responsible  for  his  death,  and  the  blow  was  laid  to 
their  charge. 

After  the  death  of  their  Messiah,  the  people  are  hard 
pressed  by  their  enemies,  and  deeply  feel  the  sad  loss 
they  have  sustained.  They  cry  unto  Jahveh  in  their 
distress,  and  He  pours  upon  them  His  Spirit.  This  out- 
pouring of  the  Spirit  in  the  times  of  judgment  is  after 
the  manner  of  Ezekiel.^  Ezekiel  represents  that  the 
1  Ezek.  xxxix.  29.  See  p.  281  seq. 
2  G 


466  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

Divine  Spirit  gives  them  the  knowledge  of  Jahveh  as 
their  Saviour.  Zechariah  describes  the  Divine  Spirit  as 
a  spirit  of  grace  and  supplication  for  grace  ;  it  inspires 
the  people  to  true  penitence,  and  they  break  forth  in  a 
national  lamentation  for  their  rejected  Messiah.  In 
response  to  this  lamentation  of  repentance,  Jahveh  opens 
up  for  them  a  fountain  for  sins  and  uncleanness,  where 
all  their  guilt,  ceremonial  as  well  as  moral,  may  be  washed 
away. 

Our  Saviour  recognised  Himself  as  this  rejected  shep- 
herd. As  He  sees  that  rejection  in  His  crucifixion 
and  death,  so  He  sees  that  great  lamentation  in  the 
judgment  that  was  impending  upon  Jerusalem  that 
rejected  Him ;  only  that  lamentation  is  no  longer  of 
penitence  and  redemption,  but  of  conviction  of  sin  and 
condemnation.^  It  is  noteworthy  that  our  Saviour  never 
refers  to  the  suffering  servant  of  the  great  unknown, 
but  lays  so  much  stress  upon  the  suffering  prince  of 
Zechariah  and  Daniel.  Indeed,  the  conception  of  the 
suffering  Messiah  reaches  its  height  in  these  passages  of 
Zechariah.  The  darker  side  of  rejection,  piercing  and 
death,  stands  out  in  all  its  dreadfulness,  without  relief. 
But  in  tlie  representation  of  the  great  unknown  it  is 
enclosed  in  the  bright  frame  of  the  exaltation  of  the 
servant. 

IX.    THE  UNIQUE  DAY. 

§  115.  There  is  to  he  a  final  conflict  with  all  nations  at 
the  gates  of  Jerusalem.  Jahveh  comes  with  all  His  saints 
to  deliver  His  people  and  destroy  their  enemies.  The 
mount  of  Olives  is  cleft  in  twain  hy  a  great  earthqiiake  to 
provide  a  refuge,  and  Jahveh  takes  His  stand  above  it  in 
judg7nent.  The  nations  are  smitten  ivith  lej^rosy  and  blind- 
ness ;  tlie  warriors  of  Jcrnscdcm  are  endowed  with  marvellous 
Matt.  xxiv.  30  ;  comp.  Rev.  i  7. 


MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  TIMES  OF  THE  KESTOKATION.      467 

strength  and  heroism;  and  all  enemies  are  destroyed. 
Jahveh  becomes  king  over  the  earth,  and  all  nations  serve  Him. 
Living  waters  go  forth  eastward  and  westward  from  Jeru- 
salem. A  day  that  has  no  night  and  no  winter  dawns, 
and  knows  no  end.  ''Holy  to  Jahveh"  is  inscribed  on  every- 
thing in  Jerusalem,  and  no  unclean  person  will  enter  it 
any  more.  All  nations  come  up  to  keep  the  feast  of  Taber- 
nacles. 

There  are  two  representations  of  the  final  conflict. 
The  former  describes  the  conflict  itself,  and  the  deliverance 
wrought  by  Jahveh. 

"  The  utterance  of  Jahveh,  who  stretcheth  forth  the  heavens,  and 
layeth  the  foundation  of  the  earth,  and  formeth  the  spirit  of  man 
within  him  :  Behold,  I  am  about  to  make  Jerusalem  a  cup  of  reeling 
unto  all  the  peoples  round  about,i  and  against  Judah  also  will  it  be 
in  the  siege  against  Jerusalem.  And  it  will  come  to  pass  in  that 
day,  that  I  will  make  Jerusalem  a  burdensome  stone  for  all  the 
peoples  ;  all  that  burden  themselves  with  it  will  be  severely 
lacerated ;  and  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  will  gather  themselves 
together  against  it.  In  that  day,  is  the  utterance  of  Jahveh,  I  will 
smite  every  horse  with  astonishment,  and  his  rider  with  madness  ; 
and  I  win  open  mine  eyes  upon  the  house  of  Judah,  and  will  smite 
every  horse  of  the  peoples  with  blindness.  And  the  chieftains  of 
Judah  will  say  in  their  heart.  The  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  are  my 
strength,^  in  Jahveh  Sabaoth,  their  God.  In  that  day  will  I  make  the 
chieftains  of  Judah  like  a  pan  of  fire  among  wood,  and  like  a  torch 
of  fire  among  sheaves  ;  and  they  will  devour  all  the  peoples  round 
about,  on  the  right  hand  and  on  the  left :  and  Jerusalem  will  yet 
again  dwell  in  her  own  place,  even  in  Jerusalem.  Jahveh  also  will 
save  the  tents  of  Judah  first,  that  the  beauty  of  the  house  of  David 
and  the  beauty  of  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  be  not  magnified 
above  Judah.     In  that  day  should  Jahveh  defend  »  the  inhabitants 

1  Comp.  Isa.  H.  17-22  ;  Ps.  Ix.  5.  . 

2  nVDX  is  only  found  here.     It  is  usually  taken  as  equivalent  to 
yn^,  strength. 

3  ps  is  jussive,  but  it  is  usually  taken  as  indicative  on  the  ground 

that  the  difi'erence  of  the  form  is'passing  out  of  mind.     It  is  better 
to  make  it  the  protasis  of  a  conditional  clause. 


468  MESSIANIC  PKOPHECY. 

of  Jerusalem,  he  that  stumbleth  among  them  in  that  day  will  be  as 
David  ;  and  the  house  of  David  will  be  as  God,  as  the  Malakh 
Jahveh  before  them.  And  it  will  come  to  pass  in  that  day,  that  I 
will  seek  to  destroy  all  the  nations  that  come  against  Jerusalem." — 
Zech.  xii.  1-9. 

This  passage  describes  a  conflict  between  Jerusalem 
and  the  nations  that  have  gathered  against  it.  It  is  not 
said  that  Jerusalem  is  captured,  as  in  the  second  passage, 
but  this  is  really  implied.  For  the  nations  find  Jerusalem 
more  than  they  can  manage  to  dispose  of.  It  is  hke  a 
cup  of  intoxication  to  them.  They  drink  and  become 
drunken.  It  is  like  a  heavy  stone  that  they  endeavour 
to  lift,  but  it  falls  upon  them,  and  lacerates  them. 
Jahveh  interposes  on  behalf  of  His  people  in  their 
extremity.  He  smites  the  enemies  with  blindness  and 
madness,  and  strengthens  his  people,  so  that  the  weakest 
of  them  becomes  a  hero  like  David,  and  the  princes  of 
David's  house  become  like  the  theophanic  Malakh.^ 
Hence  they  become  like  a  pan  of  fire  in  the  midst  of 
wood,  and,  hke  a  torch  among  sheaves  of  grain,  they 
consume  and  destroy  all  nations  that  have  come  up 
against  Jerusalem.  The  deliverance  of  Jerusalem  is 
thus  accomplished  by  a  divine  advent,  as  in  Ezekiel.^ 

The  second  representation  of  the  last  conflict  is  much 
fuller  as  regards  the  peril,  the  interposition,  and  the 
slorious  results.  It  is  indeed  the  culmination  of  all 
the  apocalypses  of  the  Old  Testament. 

"Behold,  a  day  f or  ^  Jahveh  cometh,  when  thy  spoil  will  be 
divided  in  the  midst  of  thee.     For  I  will  gather  all  nations  against 

^  See  p.  88.  Zechariah  and  Malachi  revive  this  technical  term  of 
the  prophetic  historians. 

2  Ezek.  xxxviii.-ix.     See  p.  279. 

^  n'ln'^h-  The  i)  is  taken  by  K.V.,  Henderson,  Pusey,  Cliambers, 
and  others,  as  ^  of  the  genitive.  But  it  could  hardly  be  separated 
from  DV  by  t<3.  It  is  better,  with  Keil  and  C.  H.  H.  Wright,  to  take 
it  as  the  indirect  object  "for  Jahveh." 


MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  TIMES  OF  THE  EESTORATION.      469 

Jerusalem  to  battle  ;  and  the  city  will  be  taken,  and  the  houses 
rifled,  and  the  women  ravished  :  and  half  of  the  city  will  go  forth 
into  captivity,  and  the  residue  of  the  people  will  not  be  cut  off  from 
the  city.    Then  will  Jahveh  go  forth,  and  fight  against  those  nations, 
as  when  he  fought  in  the  day  of  battle.     And  his  feet  will  stand  in 
that  day  upon  the  mount  of  Olives,  which  is  before  Jerusalem  on 
the  east,  and  the  mount  of  Olives  will  cleave  in  the  midst  thereof 
toward  the  east  and  toward  the  west,  and  there  will  be  a  very  great 
valley  ;  and  half  of  the  mountain  will  remove  toward  the  north,  and 
half  of  it  toward  the  south.     And  ye  will  flee  by  the  valley  of  my 
mountains  ;  for  the  valley  of  the  mountains  will  reach  unto  Azel : 
yea,  ye  wiU  flee,  like  as  ye  fled  from  before  the  earthquake  in  the 
days  of  Uzziah  king  of  Judah :  i  and  Jahveh  my  God  wiU  come, 
and  all  the  holy  ones  with  thee.     And  it  will  come  to  pass  in  that 
day,  that  there  will  be  no  light  or  cold  or  ice  -J  but  it  will  be  a 
unique  ^  day  which  is  known  unto  Jahveh  ;  not  day  and  not  night : 
but  it  will  come  to  pass,  that  at  evening  time  there  will  be  light. 
And  it  will  come  to  pass  in  that  day,  that  living  waters  will  go  out 
from  Jerusalem  ;  half  of  them  toward  the  eastern  sea  and  half  of 
them  toward  the  western  sea  ;  in  summer  and  in  winter  will  it  be. 
And  Jahveh  will  be  king  over  all  the  earth  :   in  that  day  will 
Jahveh  be  one,  and  His  name  one.     All  the  land  will  be  turned 
as  the  Arabah,  from  Geba  to  Kimmon,  south  of  Jerusalem ;  and  it 
will  be  lifted  up,  and  dwell  in  its  place,  from  Benjamin's  gate  unto 
the  place  of  the  first  gate,  unto  the  corner  gate,  and  from  the  tower 
of  Hananel  unto  the  king's  winepresses.     And  men  will  dwell 


1  Comp.  Amos  i.  1.  ,  i   •  x. 

2  pj^Dp""  nnp^  is  difficult.  The  last  word  in  the  Kethibh  is  a  verb 
from  5<Dp,  to  contract  oneself.  Comp.  Ex.  xv.  8.  nnp''  is  then 
interpreted  as  referring  to  the  stars,  as  the  r^hn  1p^  in  Job  xxxi.  26 
refers  to  the  moon.  This  is  the  view  of  Hengst.,  Keil,  Pusey, 
C.  H.  H.  Wright,  Chambers,  and  others.  But  the  Qeri  reads 
liSSpl  nnp\  The  ancient  versions,  LXX.,  Pesliitto,  Symmachus, 
Targimi,  also  take  them  as  nouns.  The  LXX.  renders  kuI  ^Pv^og 
x.xl  'TT^yoc.  nnp^  is  then  equivalent  to  r\V\p,  the  plural  of  r^lp^ 
cold  (see  Job  xxiv.  7).  \'\ii^p  is  found  nowhere  else.  Ewald, 
Umbreit  and  Bunsen,  take  the  three  nouns  as  united  in  one  chain, 
rendering,  "  There  will  be  no  light,  or  cold,  or  ice,"  that  is,  the 
changes  of  night  and  day,  or  summer  and  winter,  will  no  more  exist 
in  that  unique  day  of  Jahveh.  We  are  then  to  compare  Isa.  Ix.  and 
Eev.  xxi.  23. 

^  nnx  DV,  one  day,  or  rather  unique  day,  that  has  no  mate. 


470  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

therein,  and  there  will  be  no  more  ban  ;  but  Jerusalem  will  dwell 
safely.  And  this  will  be  the  plague  wherewith  Jahveh  will  smite  all 
the  peoples  that  hav^e  warred  against  Jerusalem  :  their  flesh  will 
consume  away  while  they  stand  upon  their  feet,  and  their  eyes 
will  consume  away  in  their  sockets,  and  their  tongue  will  consume 
away  in  their  mouth. ^  And  it  will  come  to  pass  in  that  day,  that  a 
great  tumult  from  Jahveh  will  be  among  them  ;  and  they  will  lay 
hold  every  one  on  the  hand  of  his  neighbour,  and  his  hand  will  rise 
up  against  the  hand  of  his  neighbour.  And  Judah  also  will  fight  at 
Jerusalem  ;  and  the  wealth  of  all  the  nations  round  about  will  be 
gathered  together,  gold,  and  silver,  and  apparel  in  great  abundance. 
And  so  will  be  the  plague  of  the  horse,  of  the  mule,  of  the  camel, 
and  of  the  ass,  and  of  all  the  beasts  that  will  be  in  those  camps,  as 
this  plague.  And  it  will  come  to  pass,  that  every  one  that  is  left  of 
all  the  nations  which  came  against  Jerusalem,  will  go  up  from  year 
to  year  to  worship  the  king,  Jahveh  Sabaoth,  and  to  keep  the  feast 
of  Tabernacles.  And  it  will  be,  that  whoso  of  all  the  families  of  the 
earth  goeth  not  up  unto  Jerusalem  to  worship  the  king,  Jahveh 
Sabaoth,  upon  them  there  will  be  no  rain.  And  if  the  family  of 
Egypt  go  not  up  and  come  not,  neither  will  it  be  upon  them  ;  there 
will  be  the  plague  wherewith  Jahveh  will  smite  the  nations  that  go 
not  up  to  keep  the  feast  of  Tabernacles.  This  will  be  the  sin  of 
Eg}*pt,  and  the  sin  of  all  the  nations  that  go  not  up  to  keep  the  feast 
of  Tabernacles.  In  that  day  will  there  be  upon  the  bells  of  the 
horses,  '  Holy  unto  Jahveh  ; '  and  the  pots  in  the  house  of  Jahveh 
will  be  like  the  bowls  before  the  altar.  Yea,  every  pot  in  Jerusalem 
and  in  Judah  will  be  '  holy  unto  Jahveh  Sabaoth  ; '  and  all  they 
that  sacrifice  will  come  and  take  of  them,  and  seethe  therein  :  and  in 
that  day  there  will  be  no  more  a  Canaanite  ^  in  the  house  of  Jahveh 
Sabaoth."— Zech.  xiv.  1-21. 

The  final  conflict  at  the  gates  of  Jerusalem  results  in 
the  capture  of  the  city.  All  nations  have  been  gathered 
together  against  it,  and  they  have  apparently  accomplished 
their  will.  Half  of  the  people  go  into  captivity,  but  half 
of  them  escape.  Jahveh  interposes  on  their  behalf  in 
theophany.  He  takes  His  stand  upon  the  mount  of 
Olives,  and  it  quakes  at  His  presence,  and  divides,  opening 

^  Comp.  Isa.  XXXV.  8. 

^  "':V33.  The  Canaanite  is  the  representative  of  the  unclean 
nations.     See  Rev.  xxi.  27. 


MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  TIMES  OF  THE  RESTORATION.      471 

up    a   great    valley    of    refuge    for    the    fugitives    from 
Jerusalem.     Jahveh  comes  with  all  His  angels.^ 

He  smites  the  hostile  armies  with  the  plague,  and 
they  waste  away  upon  their  feet  like  a  body  of  lepers. 
A  panic  comes  upon  them,  as  in  the  days  of  Jehoshaphat, 
and  they  turn  their  weapons  against  each  other.^  The 
rich  spoils  are  enjoyed  by  the  redeemed  people  of 
Jerusalem. 

A  unique  day  dawns  upon  the  world,  the  long  expected 
day  of  judgment  and  redemption,  a  day  that  has  no  sun- 
light, and  no  cold  or  ice,  no  changes  of  the  seasons,  and 
no  night.  Its  sun  will  never  set.  At  evening  it  will 
be  as  bright  as  noonday.  Jahveh  is  the  light  of  that 
everlasting  day.® 

Jerusalem  becomes  the  source  of  living  waters.  We 
have  seen  this  wonderful  stream  of  life  in  Joel,  Isaiah, 
Ezekiel,  and  the  Psalter  ;*  but  in  all  these  previous  pre- 
dictions the  stream  has  been  but  one  ;  here,  however,  it  is 
a  double  stream,  breaking  forth  in  two  directions,  both 
toward  the  Dead  Sea,  as  in  Joel  and  Ezekiel,  and  also 
now,  as  an  additional  feature,  toward  the  Mediterranean 
Sea.  It  is  a  perennial  stream,  whose  waters  know  no 
change.  In  summer  and  winter  it  flows  on  with  the 
same  inexhaustible  supply. 

All  nations  that  survive  the  great  judgment  come  up 
to  worship  Jahveh  at  Jerusalem.  As  in  the  great  un- 
known, they  assembled  in  immense  congregations  on  the 
Sabbaths  and  new  moons,^  so  here  they  assemble  to 
observe  the  crowning  feast,  the  great  festival  of  Taber- 
nacles.      Jerusalem    is    pre-eminently    holy.       As    in 

1  Dan.  vii.  10.     See  p.  415. 

2  2  Chron.  xx.  22-24. 

»  Compare  Isa.  Ix.  19-20.     See  p.  397. 

*  Joel  iv.  18  ;  Isa.  xxxiii.  21  ;  Ps.  xlvL  5;  Ezek.  xlvii.  1-12.  See 
pp.  158,  211,  214,  and  290. 

*  Isa.  Ixvi.  23.     See  p.  406. 


472  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

Jeremiah,  the  entire  city  is  the  throne  of  Jahveh,  as 
sacred  as  the  ancient  ark  of  the  covenant  ;^  so  here  every- 
thing in  Jerusalem,  even  the  bells  of  the  horses  and  the 
ordinary  cooking  utensils,  bears  the  same  inscription  as 
the  tiara  of  the  high  priest  of  Israel.  "  Holy  to  Jahveh," 
is  the  character  of  the  entire  city  and  all  its  contents, 
and  no  Canaanite  or  unclean  person  will  be  able  to  enter 
it  any  more. 

Malachi. 

The  prophecy  of  Malachi  closes  the  canon  of  the  Old 
Testament  prophets  ;  but  whether  the  word  Malachi  is 
the  name  of  the  prophetic  person  or  of  his  office,  is  dis- 
puted.^ There  seem  to  be  no  sufficient  reasons,  however^ 
for  rejecting  Malachi  as  a  proper  name  of  the  prophet, 
and  exegetical  opinion  has  turned  strongly  in  favour  of 
this  interpretation.  It  is  manifest  that  the  prophecy  was 
delivered  some  time  after  the  return  from  exile  and  the 
building  of  the  temple.  It  can  hardly  be  placed  as  late 
as  Alexander  the  Great.  The  author  was  probably  a 
contemporary  and  an  assistant  of  Nehemiah  in  his  work. 

Malachi  is  variously  estimated.  His  style  is  peculiar 
and  original,  especially  in  his  use  of  the  dialogue.  His 
language  is  forcible,  not  departing  far  from  that  of  the 
classic  writers.  Malachi  closes  the  line  of  prophets  of 
the  old  covenant.  "  Although  like  a  late  evening 
closing  a  long  day,  he  is  yet  at  the  same  time  the  grey  of 
dawn  bearing  a  noble  day  in  its  bosom."  ^  The  message 
of   the   prophet   is   divided   into  three  sections,  with  the 

1  Jer.  iii.  14-18.     See  p.  242. 

2  The  LXX.  renders  this  term  by  "  his  angel,"  and  the  Targum 
regards  Ezra  as  the  prophet,  and  in  this  respect  is  followed  by 
Jerome,  Calvin,  and  Hengstenberg.  Ewald  adopts  the  view  of  the 
LXX.,  but  assigns  no  author. 

3  Nagelsbach,  article  Maleachi,  in  Herzog,  Eealencyklopaedie, 
1  Aufl.  viii.  p.  756. 


MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  TIMES  OF  THE  KESTORATION.      473 

introduction.  The  introduction  states  the  peculiar  love 
of  God  to  Israel  (chap.  i.  1-6).  Section  1st  rebukes  the 
priests  who  contemn  His  name  (chap.  i.  7-ii.  9).  Sec- 
tion 2nd  rebukes  the  people  for  unfaithfulness  in  marriage 
relations  (ii.  10-16).^  Section  3rd  describes  the  Advent 
of  the  Lord,  and  is  Messianic  (ii  l7-iii.). 

X.    THE  SECOND  ELIJAH. 

§  116.  Tlie  Malahh  of  the  covenant  comes  to  execute  \ 
judgment.  His  advent  is  heralded  hy  a  messenger,  a  second 
Elijah.  TJiat  day  is  a  day  ofjlre,  consuming  tJie  wicked, 
and  also  a  day  of  the  Sun  of  righteousness,  giving  joy  to 
those  who  fear  God.  The  Levites  are  ^purified  hy  the  fires 
of  judgment,  and  the  offerings  of  the  peo;ple  are  again 
acceptalle  to  Jahveh. 

"  Behold,  I  am  about  to  send  my  messenger,'  and  he  will  pre- 
pare the  way  before  me ; '  and  the  Lord,  whom  ye  are  seeking, 
will  suddenly  come  to  his  temple,  and  the  Malakh  of  the  covenant, 
whom  ye  delight  in  :  Behold,  he  is  about  to  come,  saith  Jahveh 
Sabaoth.  But  who  may  abide  the  day  of  his  coming?  and  who 
is  he  who  can  stand  when  he  appeareth  ?  for  he  is  like  a  refiner's 
fire,  and  like  fuller's  soap  :  and  he  will  sit  as  a  refiner  and  purifier 
of  silver,  and  he  will  purify  the  sons  of  Levi,  and  purge  them  as 
gold  and  silver :  and  they  will  offer  imto  Jahveh  vegetable-ofier- 
ings  in  righteousness.  Then  will  the  vegetable-offering  of  Judah 
and  Jerusalem  be  pleasant  unto  Jahveh,  as  in  the  days  of  old, 
and  as  in  ancient  years. 

For,  behold,  the  day  is  about  to  come,  burning  as  a  furnace; 
and  all  the  proud,  and  all  that  do  wickedness,  will  be  stubble: 
and  the  day  that  cometh  will  burn  them  up,  saith  Jahveh  Sabaoth, 

1  See  Neh.  xiii.  23-31. 

2  We  have  to  distinguish  the  ''3X^)0  of  the  first  clause  from  the 
n^lQH  "l^i'D.  The  former  is  the  herald  of  the  latter.  The  latter 
is  the  theophanic  Malakh  of  the  prophetic  historians.     See  p.  88. 

^  C!ompare  Isa.  xl.  3,  Ivii.  14,  Ixii.  10. 


^X 


474  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

that  it  will  leave  them  neither  root  nor  branch.  But  unto  you 
that  fear  my  name  will  the  sun  of  righteousness^  arise,  with 
healing  in  his  wings  ;  ^  and  ye  will  go  forth,  and  gambol  as  calves 
of  the  stall.  And  ye  will  tread  down  the  wicked :  for  they  will 
be  ashes  under  the  soles  of  your  feet  in  the  day  when  I  am  about 
to  do  it,  saith  Jahveh  Sabaoth. 

Kemember  ye  the  law  of  Moses,  my  servant,  which  I  com- 
manded unto  him  in  Horeb  for  aU  Israel,  even  statutes  and 
judgments.  Behold,  I  am  about  to  send  you  Elijah  the  prophet, 
before  the  coming  of  the  great  and  terrible  day  of  Jahveh.^  And 
he  will  turn  the  heart  of  the  fathers  to  the  children,  and  the  heart 
of  the  children  to  their  fathers :  lest  I  come  and  smite  the  earth 
with  a  ban."  *— Mai.  iii. 

Malachi  is  in  accord  with  Zechariah  and  the  psalms 
of  the  Eestoration  in  his  dependence  upon  the  great  un- 
known. He  describes  the  herald  preparing  the  way  of 
Jahveh,  in  similar  terms  to  those  of  the  introduction  to 
the  prophecy  of  the  restoration  of  Zion.^  The  herald  is 
first  presented  as  the  messenger,  and  then  as  EUjah  the 
prophet.  The  prophet  does  not  imagine  that  the  ancient 
Elijah,  who  ascended  in  a  theophanic  chariot  to  heaven 
will  come  again  to  introduce  the  last  times;  but  he  looks 
for  a  second  Elijah,  a  great  prophet,  of  whom  the  ancient 
Elijah  was  an  appropriate  type.  The  work  of  this 
Elijah  is  the  preparatory  work  of  turning  the  hearts  of 
fathers  and  children  to  one  another,  in  reconciling  the 
generations,  in  bringing  back  the  people  to  the  pure  faith 
and  life  of  their  ancestors  ;  indeed,  a  work  of  preaching 
repentance. 

^  np1)i  C^*^.  The  construct  is  not  that  of  apposition,  with 
Keil,  as  if  righteousness  were  the  sun,  but  the  construct  of  the 
characteristic.  The  sun  is  parallel  with  the  day  of  the  previous 
context.     Jahveh  Himself  is  the  sun.     Comp.  Isa.  Ix.  19. 

-  n''2;D-  The  wings  are  not  for  the  beams  of  the  sun,  but 
involve  another  figure  of  speech.  The  prophet  is  thinking  of  the 
eagle's  wings  of  Ex.  xix.  4  ;  Deut.  xxxii.  and  Ps.  xci.  4. 

^  Comp.  Joel  iii.  4. 

*  D^n  is  the  ban,  the  devotion  to  destruction.   Comp.  Zech.  xiv.  11, 

^  See  p.  375. 


MESSIANIC  IDEA  IN  THE  TIMES  OF  THE  EESTORATION.      475 

The  advent  is  a  divine  advent,  for  the  Malakh  of  the 
covenant  is  the  ancient  theophanic  angel,  who  so  often 
appeared  in  the  early  history  of  the  nation  to  guide  and 
deliver  them.  He  comes  to  judge  Israel  according  to 
his  covenant  keeping.  He  comes  suddenly  to  His  temple, 
when  men  will  not  expect  Him,  although  His  advent  had 
been  heralded.  He  comes  as  judge  and  as  redeemer  in 
the  day  of  doom.  The  day  is  a  day  of  fire,  that  will 
burn  like  a  furnace,  and  consume  the  wicked,  leaving 
them  neither  root  nor  branch.  They  will  be  reduced  to 
ashes,  to  be  trodden  under  foot  by  the  righteous.  This 
is  another  form  of  the  river  of  fire  of  Daniel,  and  the 
flames  of  Gehenna  of  the  great  unknown.^  The  day 
will  also  be  a  day  of  fire  to  the  corrupt  in  Israel.  The 
people,  and  especially  the  Levitical  priests,  will  pass 
through  the  furnace,  and  be  purged  of  their  dross  as  gold 
and  silver  are  refined.  They  will  be  thoroughly  washed 
from  all  their  impurities,  as  by  the  fuller's  lye.  They 
need  to  be  refined  and  purified  before  their  offerings  can 
be  accepted  by  Jahveh  as  in  ancient  times.  But  the  day 
is  also  a  day  of  light.  The  Sun  of  righteousness  arises 
and  gives  its  glorious  light  to  those  who  fear  God.  He 
comes  like  a  great  eagle  to  shelter  His  people  under  His 
healing  wings.  They  wiU  triumph  over  the  wicked,  and 
rejoice  with  great  joy. 

The  Messianic  prophecy  of  the  Old  Testament  comes 
to  an  appropriate  conclusion  in  this  day  of  light  and  fire, 
when  the  recompense  of  the  Old  Covenant  is  given  by 
Jahveh  to  each  one  in  accordance  with  his  fidelity  and 
purity. 

1  Isa.  Ixvi.  24  j  Dan.  vil  10.    See  pp.  406  and  415. 


CHAPTEE  XV. 

THE  MESSIANIC  IDEAL. 

The  Messianic  prophecy  of  the  Old  Testament  advances 
through  the  centuries  of  the  history  of  redemption,  from 
the  simplest  germs  to  the  most  complex  conceptions ; 
and  yet  there  is  a  unity  in  the  midst  of  the  great  variety 
of  representations,  and  a  harmony  in  the  manifold  develop- 
ment of  the  theme,  so  that  the  whole  constitutes  an 
organism  of  redemption,  the  Messianic  ideal  given  by 
divine  revelation  to  guide  the  people  of  God  in  their 
advance  toward  the  goal  of  history, 

L    THE  IDEAL  OF  MANKIND. 

The  ideal  of  the  human  race  was  first  given  in  the 
divine  blessing  preserved  in  the  poem  of  creation. 
Mankind  was  created  in  the  divine  image,  and  endowed 
with  dominion  over  the  creatures.  His  destiny  was  to 
assume  sovereignty,  and  take  possession  of  the  earth  by 
a  numerous  posterity.  Psalm  viii.  gives  a  lyric  expres- 
sion to  the  same  ideal.^  The  ideal  man  is  a  little  below 
the  heavenly  intelligences  in  dignity,  but  is  exalted  to 
dominion  over  all  creatures. 

This  ideal  was  disturbed  by  the  original  sin  of  our 

first  parents,  but  it  was  not  destroyed.     The  tragedy  of 

Eden  changed  the  form  of   the  divine  blessing  and  its 

mode  of  realization  ;  but  its  substance  remained  the  same, 

1  Gen.  i  26-30,  p.  68.  «  P.  146. 

476 


THE  MESSIANIC  IDEAL.  477 

for  the  ultimate  destiny  of  mankind  could  not  be  different 
from  the  original  design  of  the  Creator.  The  divine 
blessing  of  fruitfulness  and  growth  was  transformed  into 
a  covenant  of  redemption.  And  so  Ps.  xvi.  represents 
the  ideal  man  enjoying  the  favour  of  God  in  a  happy 
lot  in  life,  and  in  communion  with  God  after  departing 
from  life;^  and  Ps.  xci.  describes  the  pious  man  in 
intimate  communion  with  God,  delivered  from  perils  of 
every  kind,  sustained  by  angels,  and  lord  of  the  animals.^ 
This  ideal  of  the  human  race  was  the  inheritance  of 
the  people  of  God.  It  is  the  blessing  of  the  Mosaic 
codes.  The  institutions  of  the  old  covenant  were  the 
means  for  its  realization ;  but  when  these  failed  owing 
to  the  sinfulness  and  perversity  of  Israel,  the  prophets 
presented  the  same  ideal  in  the  new  covenant.  Hosea 
sees  all  nature  responding  in  concert  to  Israel  when  she 
is  remarried  to  Jahveh.^  Isaiah  describes  that  universal 
peace,  when  the  little  child  is  the  shepherd  of  the  wild 
animals,  and  the  infant  plays  with  the  serpent.*  Ezekiel 
points  to  a  second  Eden ;  ^  and  the  great  unknown  pre- 
dicts a  transformation  of  nature  in  which  the  garden  of 
Jahveh  takes  the  place  of  the  wilderness,  and  a  new 
earth  and  new  heavens  of  righteousness  and  peace  are 
created,  instead  of  the  earth  that  had  been  cursed  with 
sin  and  death.^  Ps.  Ixxxv.  describes  the  land  of  the 
glory  of  Jahveh.  The  divine  attributes  meet  therein  in 
sweet  communion.  Earth  and  heaven  respond  to  each 
other  in  friendship.'^  Ps.  cxliv.  12-15  gives  a  picture 
of  universal  peace  and  joy.  The  soil  is  fruitful,  the  cattle 
innumerable,  and  the  children  of  men  are  full  grown 
and  beautiful* 

1  P.  148.  2  p,  460,  8  Hos.  ii.  18,  p.  172. 

*  Isa.  xi.  6-9,  p.  205.  «  Ezek.  xxxvi.  35,  p.  274. 

«  Isa.  li.  3,  Iv.  12,  13,  Ixv.  17,  pp.  363,  384,  403. 

'  P.  228.  »  See  pp.  457-459. 


478  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 


n.   THE  CONFLICT  WITH  EVIL. 


The  protevangelium  -^  is  the  miniature  of  the  history  of 
humanity,  a  conflict  with  evil  until  the  ultimate  victory 
over  it.  The  seed  of  the  woman  is  the  conqueror  of  the 
serpent, — the  son  of  man  triumphs  over  the  prince  of 
evil.  The  conflict  in  this  primitive  prophecy  is  with  the 
serpent  and  his  seed.  But  in  subsequent  prophecy  the 
combat  is  between  good  and  evil  in  families,  tribes, 
nations,  the  powers  of  heaven  and  earth,  until  it  becomes 
a  universal  struggle ;  for  evil  creates  divisions  in  the 
human  race,  and  hence  the  conflict  is  not  merely  between 
humanity  and  evil,  it  is  a  battle  in  humanity  itself 
between  an  evil  seed  and  the  seed  of  promise.  There  is 
an  increasing  elimination  of  the  evil  seed  from  the  seed 
of  redemption.  Abraham  and  his  seed  take  the  place  of 
Eve  and  her  seed.  The  children  of  Hagar,  Keturah,  and 
Esau  are  also  excluded,  so  that  Israel  becomes  the  holy 
seed,  the  heir  of  all  the  promises.  Isaiah  and  his  succes- 
sors distinguish  between  carnal  Israel  and  the  righteous 
remnant.  This  remnant  is  still  further  reduced  in  the 
persecutions  of  the  last  days  of  the  kingdom  of  Judah 
and  of  the  exile,  until  it  culminates  in  the  conception  of 
a  unique  servant,  a  second  Israel,  who  suffers  for  the  sins 
of  all  and  achieves  redemption  for  all ;  ^  and  in  a  son  of 
man  who  comes  upon  the  clouds  of  heaven,  to  triumph 
over  the  Antichrist  in  whom  the  hostile  powers  culminate.* 

in.    THE  DIVINE  ADVENT. 

The  blessing  of  Shem  *  introduces  the  doctrine  of  the 
divine  advent.  Man  needs  divine  help  in  order  to  gain 
the  victory  over  evil.     God  comes  to  dwell  in  the  tents 

1  Gen.  iii.  14,  15,  p.  71.  ^  ig^.  Hii.^  p.  356. 

»  Dan.  ix.  23,  p.  424.  *  Gen.  ix.  26,  27,  p.  79. 


THE  MESSIANIC  IDEAL.  479 

of  Shem  as  the  God  of  the  race.  The  divine  Malakh 
assures  the  patriarchs  that  He  will  abide  with  them  and 
fulfil  the  promises  of  the  covenant.  At  the  exodus 
the  Malakh  selects  the  holy  tabernacle  as  his  residence, 
and  Israel  takes  the  place  of  the  race  of  Shem  in  the 
unfolding  of  the  promise.  God  dwells  in  the  tabernacle 
until  the  destruction  of  Shiloh  by  the  Philistines.  In 
the  covenant  with  David  He  promises  to  abide  in  the 
temple  erected  by  the  seed  of  David.^  He  enters  the 
temple  of  Solomon  and  resides  there  until  the  exile.  The 
divine  presence  secures  Jerusalem  from  ruin.  A  corner- 
stone is  laid  in  Zion  that  is  worthy  of  all  confidence.  It 
abides  firm  in  the  overwhelming  storm.^  Zion  is  the 
quiet  abode  of  Jahveh,  the  glorious  judge,  warrior,  and 
king,  a  place  of  streams  where  hostile  fleets  appear  only 
to  be  shattered  and  destroyed.^  Zion,  the  city  of  the 
great  king,  is  the  safe  abode  of  the  people  of  God ;  its 
beauty  and  glory  reflect  the  majesty  of  God.  Jahveh 
quiets  the  commotions  of  the  nations,  rebukes  the  re- 
bellious, and  reigns  over  the  earth.  The  weapons  of  war 
are  destroyed  in  order  to  the  establishment  of  universal 
peace.^ 

Such  sublime  thoughts  as  these  could  not  be  realized 
in  the  old  Jerusalem,  or  in  the  old  temple,  on  account  of 
the  sins  of  the  people.  The  prophets  attach  them  to  the 
new  temple  and  the  new  Jerusalem.  Ezekiel  sees  Jahveh 
departing  from  the  desecrated  temple,  and  yet  granting 
His  presence  to  His  people  during  the  exile  as  their 
sanctuary.^  He  predicts  a  new  temple  of  great  magnifi- 
cence and  sanctity.^ 

One  of  the  earlier  prophets  predicted  that  the  temple 
mount  would  be  exalted  above  all  the  mountains,  as  the 

1  2  Sam.  vii.  11-16,  p.  126  «  Isa.  xxviii.  16,  p.  208. 

*  Isa.  xxxiii.  20-24,  p.  210.  *  Pss.  xlvi.  and  xlviii.,  p.  213. 

«  Ezek.  xi.  16,  p.  268.  «  Ezek.  xl.-xlviii.,  p.  283. 


480  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

goal  of  the  pilgrimage  of  the  nations,  the  source  of  in- 
struction and  judgment.^  Jeremiah  sees  a  new  Jeru- 
salem that  will  be  as  sacred  as  the  ark  of  the  covenant,^ 
that  will  bear  the  name  "  Jahveh  is  our  righteousness,"  ^ 
that  will  be  rebuilt  and  be  holy  in  all  its  suburbs,  so 
that  there  will  be  no  places  of  uncleanness.*  A  psalmist 
declares  that  Jahveh  will  come  and  dwell  in  Zion  for 
ever,  and  provide  abundantly  for  all  its  inhabitants/ 
Ezekiel  names  the  holy  city,  "  Jahveh  is  there."  ^ 

The  great  unknown  represents  that  the  new  temple 
will  be  the  house  of  prayer  for  all  nations,  and  that  they 
will  bring  their  choicest  treasures  thither.  Jerusalem 
will  be  rebuilt  of  precious  stones,  its  gates  salvation,  its 
walls  praise.  It  will  be  the  light  and  glory  of  the  world, 
and  bear  the  names  "  Married,"  and  "  My  delight  is  in 
thee."  It  will  be  the  centre  of  a  new  earth  and  new 
heavens.^ 

Haggai  predicts  that  the  latter  glory  of  the  temple 
will  be  gxeater  than  the  former.^  Zechariah  sees  that 
the  new  Jerusalem  will  be  inhabited  by  a  vast  multitude, 
and  that  Jahveh  will  be  a  wall  of  fire  round  about  it, 
and  a  glory  in  its  midst,  and  that  it  will  be  called  "  the 
city  of  fidelity."  ^  A  later  prophet  predicts  that  the  new 
Jerusalem  will  be  so  holy  that  the  bells  of  the  horses  and 
the  cooking  utensils  will  bear  the  same  inscription  as  the 
tiara  of  the  high  priest,  "  Holy  to  Jahveh."  ^^ 

1  Micah  iv.  1,  and  Isa.  ii.  2,  p.  181.      »  jer.  iii.  17,  p.  242. 

8  Jer.  xxxiii.  16,  p.  244.  *  Jer.  xxxi.  38-40,  p.  257. 

»  Ps.  cxxxii.,  p.  263.  ®  Ezek.  xlviii.  35,  p.  290. 

7  Isa.  xlix.  23,  liv.  12,  Ivi.  7,  Lx.,  Ixii.,  Ixv.  17  seq.,  pp.  383,  389, 
392,  394,  400,  403. 

8  Hag.  ii.  9,  p.  437. 

»  Zech.  ii.  8-17,  viii.  3,  p.  438.  lo  Zech.  xiv.  20,  21,  p.  471. 


THE  MESSIANIC  IDEAL.  481 

IV.    THE    HOLY   LAND. 

The  blessing  of  Abraham^  introduces  the  doctrine  of 
the  holy  land.  This  land  is  the  inheritance  of  the  holy 
seed.  Jacob  divides  it  among  his  sons,  and  appoints 
Judah  as  the  leader  in  the  march  of  conquest.  The 
portions  of  Judah  and  Ephraim  are  especially  rich  and 
fruitful.^  The  codes  of  the  Pentateuch  enlarge  upon  the 
blessings  of  the  promised  land  as  the  rewards  of  obedience 
to  the  divine  instruction.^  The  prophets  represent  that 
the  failure  to  realize  these  blessings  was  owinsr  to  divine 
chastisement  for  sin,  and  they  make  the  holy  land  a 
iprominent  feature  of  the  new  covenant.  The  land  of  the 
vestoration  is  to  become  wonderfully  fruitful  like  the 
garden  of  Eden.  It  will  again  be  divided  among  the 
tribes,  and  especial  portions  will  be  given  to  the  priests, 
the  Levites,  the  holy  city,  and  the  prince.  A  river  of  life 
will  flow  forth  from  the  temple,  quicken  the  barren  tracts 
of  the  land,  and  restore  the  waters  of  the  Dead  Sea.  It 
will  flow  eastward  and  westward,  increasing  its  waters  as 
it  flows  in  inexhaustible  and  abounding  supply.  Upon 
its  banks  will  be  trees  of  life  with  monthly  fruits  and 
healing  leaves.*  A  highway  of  redemption  will  be  opened 
"up  leading  to  the  promised  land,  the  path  of  the  return- 
ing exiles  will  be  made  easy,  and  all  their  wants  supplied. 
The  land  will  be  filled  with  trees  of  beauty  and  the 
choicest  flowers ;  and  it  will  become  exceedingly  fruitful, 
and  paradise  will  be  regained.  There  will  be  new 
heavens  and  a  new  earth,  the  abode  of  righteousness  and 
peace.  All  evils,  physical  and  moral,  will  be  banished. 
There  will  be  no  more  sorrow,  or  tears,  or  death,  but 
everlasting  joy  and  festivity  will  everywhere  prevail.^ 

1  Gen.  xii.  1-3,  p.  84.  2  Q^n.  xlix.  11,  12,  22-26,  p.  93  seq. 

3  P.  115.  4  Ezek.  xxxvi.  35,  xlv.-xlviii.,  pp.  274,  283. 

^  Isa.  XXV.  6-8,  XXXV.,  xli.  18-20,  xlix.  9-13,  li.  3,  Iv.  12,  13,  Ixv. 
17,  pp.  306,  318,  342,  354,  365,  384,  404. 

'2    If 


482  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

V.    JAHVEH    THE  FATHER   AND    HUSBAND. 

At  the  exodus  Jahveh  adopted  Israel  as  his  first-born 
son,  assigned  him  an  inheritance  in  the  midst  of  the 
nations,  and  guided  him  with  paternal  care  until  he  took 
possession  of  it.^  The  sonship  of  Israel  unfolds  into  the 
sonship  of  David  and  his  seed.  But  the  latter  con- 
ception does  not  displace  the  former,  although  it  renders 
its  use  less  frequent.  Thus  Hosea  represents  that  the 
children  of  Israel  will  be  recognised  in  the  Messianic 
time  as  the  sons  of  the  living  God.^  Jahveh  will  not 
give  up  Israel,  as  He  had  abandoned  other  nations  to 
their  sins  and  death.  He  will  raise  him  from  the  dead, 
and  deliver  him  from  Sheol.^  Jeremiah  graphically 
presents  Ephraim  as  the  first-born  of  Jahveh  lamenting 
under  divine  discipline,  and  returning  in  penitence  unto 
Jahveh,  who  receives  him  in  compassion  as  a  precious 
and  delightful  son.*  The  great  unknown  represents 
Jahveh  as  more  faithful  to  Zion  than  a  mother  to  her 
babe.  He  will  never  forget  her,  but  will  restore  her  to 
her  land  and  multiply  her  children.^ 

But  the  relation  of  sonship  is  not  so  common  as  that 
of  marriage.  This  is  also  a  conception  of  the  Pentateuch, 
but  Hosea  first  introduces  it  into  the  Messianic  idea. 
Mother  Israel  has  been  guilty  of  adultery  with  Baal,  and 
is  rejected  by  her  husband  Jahveh.  But  after  faithful 
discipline  in  the  wilderness  she  is  restored  to  her  own 
land,  where  she  is  remarried,  the  divine  attributes  being 
the  bonds  of  union.^  Zej)haniah  represents  Jahveh 
renewing  his  love  to  Zion,  and  rejoicing  over  her  with 
great  joy,  and  singing  with  exultation."^  Jeremiah  also 
thinks  of  a  remarriage  of  Zion  to  Jahveh.^ 

*  Ex.  iv.  22,  23.     See  p.  100.  ^  Hosea  i.  10.     See  p.  166. 
8  Hosea  xi.  8,  9,  xiii.  14.     See  pp.  174-176. 

*  Jer.  xxxi.  18-20.    See  p.  252.       «  Isa.  xlix.  14-22.    See  p.  381. 
«  Hos.  i.-ii.     See  p.  165  seq.  '  Zeph.  iii.  17.     See  p.  224. 

8  Jer.  iii.  14.     See  p.  242. 


THE  MESSIANIC  IDEAL.  483 

The  great  unknown  unfolds  this  conception  in  its 
fulness.  Zion  has  been  forsaken  for  a  short  time,  and 
suffered  affliction.  But  Jahveh  is  her  husband  and 
saviour.  He  is  faithful  to  her,  and  will  restore  her 
to  her  own  land  and  bestow  upon  her  His  covenant 
of  peace.^  Zion  has  been  named  "  Forsaken "  and 
"  Desolate,"  but  she  is  to  receive  the  names  "  Married  " 
and  "  My  delight  is  in  thee."  Jahveh  will  rejoice  over 
her  as  His  bride,  and  make  her  His  crown  of  glory .^ 

The  relation  of  shepherd  and  flock  is  less  frequent,  but 
it  is  important  to  the  development  of  the  Messianic  idea. 
It  is  found  in  the  poetry  ascribed  to  Jacob,^  but  first 
enters  into  the  Messianic  idea  in  the  earlier  Zechariah. 
The  good  shepherd  Jahveh  rejects  His  flock,  having  been 
estimated  by  them  at  the  miserable  price  of  a  slave. 
These  poor  wages  are  thrown  away,  and  the  shepherd's 
staves,  beauty  and  concord,  are  broken  as  a  symbol  of  the 
separation.*  Psalm  Ixxx.  calls  upon  the  shepherd  of 
Israel  to  come  for  the  salvation  of  His  people.^  Ezekiel 
describes  the  good  shepherd  searching  out  and  gathering 
his  scattered  flock  and  restoring  them  to  their  fold  in  the 
land  of  Israel.^  The  great  unknown  sees  Jahveh  leading 
His  flock  on  the  highway  of  redemption.  He  is  gentle 
and  attentive  to  the  suckling  lambs  and  their  mothers.^ 
Psalms  xcv.  and  c.  represent  Israel  as  the  people  of 
Jahveh's  pasture  and  the  flock  of  His  hand.^ 

VI.    THE    KINGDOM    OF    GOD. 

The  covenant  at  Horeb  constituted  Israel  the  kingdom 
of  God,  a  kingdom  of  priests  and  a  holy  nation.^     The 

1  Isa.  liv.  1-17.     See  p.  387.  ^  jga.  ixii.     See  p.  400. 

«  Gen.  xlix.  24.  *  Zech.  xi.  7-14.     See  p.  187. 

«  Ps.  Ixxx.  2.     See  p.  229.  «  Ezek.  xxxiv.  11-31.   Seep.  272. 

'  Isa.  xl.  11.    See  p.  377.  *  Ps.  xcv.7,c.  3.  See  pp.  450, 455. 
»  Ex.  xix.  6,  p.  101. 


484  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

blessing  of  Abraham  had  already  promised  that  the  seed 
of  Abraham  should  be  a  blessing  to  mankind ;  [  but  the 
covenant  at  Horeb  outlined  the  methods  of  its  accom- 
plishment. Israel  is  a  royal  priesthood,  and  as  such  has 
a  ministry  of  priesthood  and  a  ministry  of  royalty.  Both 
of  these  relations  unfold  in  Messianic  prophecy. 

In  the  prophecy  of  Balaam  the  kingdom  of  God  is 
apart  from  the  nations,  is  composed  of  vast  numbers,  and 
is  irresistible.  It  subdues  all  nations  to  its  sceptre.^ 
Jahveh  is  the  king  of  this  kingdom.  He  marches  at  the 
head  of  His  people,  and  subdues  all  its  enemies. 

In  the  covenant  with  Da^dd  He  installs  the  seed  of 
Da\dd  as  a  Messianic  dynasty  to  rule  over  His  kingdom, 
but  does  not  thereby  divest  Himself  of  His  royal  sway.^ 
Hence  the  triumphs  of  the  kingdom  of  God  are  sometimes 
represented  as  the  triumphs  of  the  Messiah  and  then  as 
a  divine  victory.  In  the  earlier  days  of  the  Davidic 
monarchy  the  Messianic  conqueror  is  more  prominent, 
but  in  the  darker  days  the  Messiah  retires  into  the  back- 
ground, and  the  divine  king  becomes  more  prominent. 
Psalm  xxiv.  represents  Jahveh  Sabaoth  entering  the  holy 
city  in  triumph.*  Psalms  xlvi.  and  xlviii.  describe 
Jerusalem  as  the  city  of  the  great  king  whence  He 
triumphs  over  aU  His  enemies.^ 

The  kingdom  of  God  was  reduced  by  the  follies  of  the 
house  of  David.  It  was  broken  in  two  by  the  secession  of 
the  northern  tribes,  so  that  thenceforth  the  reunion  of 
Israel  became  a  familiar  theme  for  Messianic  prophecy. 
The  kingdom  was  still  further  reduced  by  the  invasions 
of  the  Assyrians,  so  that  Jerusalem  and  Zion  take  the 
place  and  significance  of  the  larger  kingdom.  The 
corner-stone  established  there  will  abide  firm  amidst  all 

1  Gen.  xii.  1-3,  p.  84. 

2  Num.  xxiii.  9,  10,  xxiv.  17-19,  p.  104  seq. 

»  2  Sam.  vii.  11-16,  p.  126.       *  Ps.  xxiv.,  p.  145.         »  P.  213. 


THE  MESSIANIC  IDEAL.  485 

the  troubles  and  confusion.^  Psalm  Ixxx.  compares  the 
kingdom  to  a  vine  that  once  enjoyed  a  marvellous 
growth,  but  is  now  stripped  of  its  branches  and  ravaged 
by  beasts  of  prey.^  Ezekiel  sees  that  the  kingdom  is  to 
remain  in  ruins  until  the  advent  of  the  appointed  king,^ 
and  represents  that  it  will  be  planted  like  a  little  cedar 
sprig  upon  the  mountains  of  the  holy  land  and  grow  to 
be  a  majestic  tree.*  Daniel  sees  the  kingdom  in  a  little 
stone  cut  out  of  the  mountains  without  hands  that  grows 
until  it  dashes  all  other  kingdoms  in  pieces,  and  becomes 
itself  a  mountain  filling  the  earth.^  Jahveh  Himself 
comes  to  the  front  in  the  predictions  of  the  exile  as  the 
king  of  Israel.  When  the  time  for  restoration  has  come. 
He  works  greater  miracles  than  at  the  time  of  the  exodus  ; 
He  marches  at  the  head  of  His  people  on  a  highway  of 
redemption  ;  all  nature  is  transformed  before  Him ;  He 
leads  the  restored  captives  in  triumphal  procession  to 
Zion ;  He  takes  up  His  residence  in  the  holy  city,  and 
reigns  there  for  ever  as  the  light  and  glory  of  Israel  and 
the  world  ;  all  nature  rejoices  in  His  reign  of  peace  ;  and 
all  nations  bow  to  His  sceptre,  and  recognise  and  obey 
Him  as  the  universal  king.® 

The  priestly  relation  is  more  developed  in  the  later 
periods  of  prophecy.  The  priestly  nation  unfolds  into  a 
priestly  order  in  the  nation  which  throws  the  priestly 
relation  of  the  entire  nation  into  the  background.  Isaiah 
is  the  first  of  the  prophets  to  unfold  this  priestly  relation 
of  the  nation.  He  sees  Egypt  and  Assyria  united  with 
Israel  as  the  people  of  God,  speaking  the  holy  language  and 
serving  Jahveh  with  altar  and  sacrifice,  while  Ethiopia  and 


1  Isa.  xxviii.  16-18,  p.  208.  «  P.  228. 

«  Ezek.  xxi.  31,  32,  p.  270.  *  Ezek.  xvii.  22-24,  p.  269. 

«  Dan.  ii.  44,  45,  p.  412. 

6  Isa.  xli.,  xUi.,  xlix.  21-25,  lii.  7-12,  Ivii.  11-21,  Ix.,  Ixii.  10-12  ; 
Ps.  Ixviii.,  xciii.,  xcv.-c,  pp.  375,  379,  386,  393,  394,  429,  448. 


486  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

Tyre  consecrate  offerings  to  Him.^  Zephaniali  sees 
the  renown  of  Israel  extending  to  the  distant  parts  of 
Africa,  and  the  Ethiopians  and  the  Libyans  sending 
offerings  to  the  temple.^  Psalm  Ixxxvii.  sings  of  the 
adoption  of  the  nations  into  the  city  of  God,  and  their 
enrolment  among  the  citizens  of  Zion.^ 

The  great  unknown  dwells  upon  this  as  his  favourite 
theme.  The  name  of  Jacob  becomes  a  title  of  honour , 
all  the  ends  of  the  earth  turn  unto  Jahveh,  and  every 
tongue  swears  allegiance  to  Him ;  kings  and  queens 
become  the  foster-fathers  and  foster-mothers  of  Zion  ;  a 
great  invitation  is  extended  to  all  men  to  partake  freely 
of  the  blessings  of  the  new  covenant ;  the  eunuchs  and 
foreigners  are  cordially  invited  to  worship  in  the  house 
of  prayer  for  all  nations ;  the  peoples  of  the  world  bring 
their  choicest  treasures  to  Zion ;  the  people  of  Israel 
become  the  priests,  and  the  nations  their  servants ; 
Egypt,  Ethiopia,  and  all  nations  unite  in  the  worship  of 
Jahveh,  in  the  offerings,  the  feasts,  and  even  in  the 
priesthood.*  Psalm  Ixviii.  represents  Ethiopia,  Egypt, 
and  all  nations  paying  tribute  and  singing  the  praises  of 
Jahveh.  Zechariah  describes  the  nations  encouraoiuGj 
one  another  to  seek  Jahveh,  and  catching  hold  of  the 
skirts  of  the  Jew  to  secure  his  guidance  to  the  holy 
place.^  The  royal  psalms  describe  the  whole  earth 
engaged  in  the  worship  of  God ;  ^  and  Zech.  xiv.  repre- 
sents all  nations  celebrating  the  feast  of  Tabernacles.^ 

1  Isa.  xviii.  7,  xix.  16-25,  xxiii.  18,  p.  206. 

2  Zeph.  iii.  9,  10,  p.  221.  3  p,  226. 

*  Isa.  xliv.  5,  xlv.  21-25,  Iv.  1-5,  Ivi.  6,  7,  Ix.,  Ixi.  5,  6,  Ixvi.  20,  21, 
pp.  351,  363,  369,  378,  391,  394,  403. 

«  Ps.  Ixviii.  31,  32,  p.  433.  «  Zech.  viii.  22,  23,  p.  439. 

'  Ps.  xcvi.,  xcviii.,  xcix.,  p.  448  seq.      ®  Zech.  xiv.  16,  17,  p.  467. 


X 


THE  MESSIANIC  IDEAL.  487 


VII.    THE  DAY  OF  JAHVEH. 

Tlie  doctrine  of  divine  judgment  springs  from  the 
blessings  and  curses  of  the  Mosaic  codes.^  The  blessing 
of  Israel  involves  the  cursing  of  all  his  enemies.  The 
blessings  of  obedience  have  as  their  counterpart  the 
curses  of  disobedience.  Hence  the  doctrine  of  divine 
judgment  is  now  a  judgment  of  the  enemies  of  his 
people ;  and  then  a  chastisement  and  purification  of 
Israel  himself.  The  judgment  is  a  heaping  up  of  evils 
of  all  kinds  upon  the  enemies  of  the  kingdom  of  God, 
whether  these  are  within  the  kingdom  or  without.  The 
song  of  Hannah  describes  Jahveh  as  the  all-knowing 
judge,  who  espouses  the  cause  of  the  weak  and  executes 
justice  in  the  earth.^  Psalm  i,  describes  a  theophany  for 
judgment.^  The  righteous  and  the  wicked  alike  are 
warned  to  make  sincere  offerings  lest  they  be  destroyed. 

Joel  first  introduces  the  doctrine  of  the  day  of  Jahveh. 
There  is  a  great  and  terrible  day  when  Jahveh  will  judge 
the  nations  in  the  vale  of  judgment.  All  nature  will  be 
disturbed.  The  judgment  will  be  a  battle,  a  harvest,  and 
a  treading  of  the  winepress.'*  Zephaniah  enlarges  upon 
tliis  great  and  terrible  day,  when  everything  will  be 
consumed.^  Ezekiel  describes  a  "great  struggle  upon  the 
mountams  of  the  holy  land  with  Gog  at  the  head  of  all 
the  hostile  nations.  These  will  be  overthrown  by  the 
advent  of  Jahveh,  who  will  rain  fire  and  brimstone  upon 
them,  and  utterly  destroy  them.^ 

The  prophets  of  the  exile  describe  the  judgment  in 
various  terms.  There  is  to  be  a  great  judgment  upon 
Babylon,  Egypt,  and  Moab  ;  the  earth  staggers  like  a 
drunkard  and  swings  Like  a  hammock ;  it  is  utterly  laid 

1  See  p.  115.  2  1  s-^iji.  ii.  1-10,  p.  123. 

8  See  p.  237.  *  Joel  iv.  18-21,  p.  154. 

«  Zeph.  i.  14-18,  iii.  1-3,  p.  221.      6  ^zek.  xxxviii.-xxxix.,  p.  279. 


488  IVTESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

waste  ;  the  great  metropolis  is  reduced  to  chaos ;  the 
kings  of  the  earth  and  the  evil  powers  of  heaven  are 
imprisoned  and  reserved  for  punishment ;  the  wicked 
oppressors  perish  for  ever/  The  judgment  is  a  great 
slaughter ;  Jahveh  is  the  conqueror  of  Edom ;  His  sword 
is  bathed  in  the  blood  of  the  enemies,  and  His  garments 
are  stained  with  it;  even  the  heavens  and  earth  are 
contaminated  with  the  blood  and  carcases  of  the  slain  ■: 
the  heavens  are  rolled  up  like  a  scroll,  and  their  host  fall 
as  the  foliage  of  a  tree.^  The  nations  that  war  against 
Jerusalem  are  smitten  with  blindness  and  leprosy,  and 
are  destroyed.^  Jahveh  comes  as  the  Ancient  of  days 
upon  a  throne  of  flames,  and  all  His  enemies  are  cast 
into  the  river  of  fire.*  The  wicked  are  cast  out  of  the 
holy  city  like  a  mass  of  rotting,  burning  carcases  in  the 
vale  of  Gehenna.^  The  day  of  fire  consumes  the  wicked, 
and  leaves  them  neither  root  nor  branch.^ 

The  day  of  judgment  is  also  a  day  of  redemption. 
The  prophet  Joel  sees  the  outpouring  of  the  divine  Spirit 
on  all  flesh,  with  the  manifold  gifts  of  prophecy  as  the 
counterpart  to  the  universal  judgment.^  Ezekiel  also 
connects  the  outpouring  of  the  divine  Spirit  upon  Israel 
with  the  destruction  of  Gog  and  the  nations.^  Amos 
teaches  that  Israel  will  be  sifted  among  all  nations,  so 
that  the  wicked  will  be  destroyed  like  the  chaff,  but  not 
a  grain  of  the  true  Israel  will  be  lost.^  Hosea  represents 
that  mother  Israel  will  be  disciplined  in  the  wilderness 
and  then  restored ;  that  Israel  will  be  put  to  death,  and 
then  raised  from  the  dead.^"     Isaiah  predicts  that  Jahveh 

^  Isa.  xiii.  1-13,  xxiv.-xxvii.,  p.  295  seq. 
®  Isa.  xxxiv.,  Ixiii.  1-6,  p.  311  seq. 
^  Zech.  xii.  1-9,  xiv.  1-21,  p.  466  seq. 

*  Dan.  vii.  9-12,  p.  413.  «  Isa.  Ixvi.  24,  p.  408. 

6  Mai.  iii.,  p.  473.  ^  Joel  iii.,  p.  155. 

^  Ezek.  xxxix.  ^  Amos  ix.  9,  p.  161. 

^®  Hos.  ii.,  iii.,  xiii.  14,  pp.  168  seq.,  176. 


THE  MESSIANIC  IDEAL.  489 

will  refine  and  purify  His  people,  so  that  the  remnant 
will  become  holy  and  blessed/  Jeremiah  describes  the 
loving  chastisement  that  brings  Israel  to  repentance.^ 
Ezekiel  sees  Israel  lying  on  the  battlefield  a  mass  of  dry 
bones,  but  also  sees  Jahveh  restoring  them  to  life  again.' 
Jahveh  will  sprinkle  His  people  with  clean  water,  and 
purify  them,  so  that  they  will  have  a  new  heart  and  a 
new  spirit.*  The  prophets  of  the  exile  enlarge  upon  this 
representation.  The  great  apocalypse  represents  that 
Israel  has  been  smitten  in  exact  measure  for  the  removal 
of  sin  and  ultimate  redemption ;  his  corpse  belongs  to 
Jahveh,  and  will  be  quickened  by  the  light  of  life ;  all 
sorrow  and  death  will  be  banished  in  the  times  of 
restoration ;  and  there  will  be  a  great  banquet  of  joy  for 
all  the  redeemed  on  Mount  Zion.^ 

The  great  unknown  shows  that  Zion's  warfare  has 
been  accomplished,  her  iniquity  discharged,  and  that  she 
will  be  restored  by  the  victorious  arm  of  Jahveh ;  she 
has  been  forsaken  for  a  short  time  in  a  gush  of  wrath ; 
but  will  be  restored,  and  will  receive  the  comforting 
assurance  that  Jahveh  will  never  be  angry  with  her 
again ;  the  divine  Spirit  will  be  poured  out  upon  the 
seed  of  Israel,  and  they  will  become  fruitful  and  be 
increased  to  vast  numbers.^ 

Daniel  predicts  that  there  will  be  a  resurrection  of 
the  dead,  when  the  righteous  will  receive  their  inheritance, 
but  the  wicked  Israelites  will  become  a  reproach  and  an 
everlasting  abhorrence.^ 

The  latest  prophets  bring  this  conception  to  its  culmi- 
nation.    The  spirit  of  grace  and  supplication  is  poured 

1  Isa.  iv.  2-6,  p.  193.  ^  jer.  xxx.  12-xxxi.,  p.  246. 

3  Ezek.  xxxvii.  7-14,  p.  275.  *  Ezek.  xxxvi.  25-35,  p.  274. 

^  Isa.  xxiv.-xxvii.,  p.  296. 

6  Isa.  xl.  1,  2,  xliv.  1-5,  liv.  1-17,  bdi.  11,  12,  pp.  361,  374,  387, 
400. 

^  Dan.  xii.  1-13,  p.  421. 


490  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

upon  Jerusalem,  and  they  turn  to  Jahveh  in  sincere 
repentance,  and  are  cleansed  in  the  fountain  for  sin  and 
uncleanness/  There  is  a  unique  day  whose  sun  will 
never  set,  whose  hours  will  know  no  changes  of  seasons.^ 
Malachi  sees  Jahveh  coming  as  the  sun  of  righteousness 
to  purify  by  the  fires  of  judgment,  which  will  destroy 
the  wicked,  but  will  refine  the  righteous  and  make  them 
acceptable  to  God.  He  will  heal  them  with  His  wings, 
and  will  take  them  to  Himself  as  His  chosen  inheritance 
and  priceless  possession.^ 

Vin.    THE  HOLY  PEIESTHOOD. 

The  covenant  with  Israel  at  Horeb,  making  Israel  a 
kingdom  of  priests,*  is  unfolded  in  the  covenants  with 
Phinehas  and  with  David.  In  the  former  we  have  a 
faithful  priesthood  for  Israel;  in  the  latter,  a  royal  dynasty 
for  Israel.  Each  of  these  is  a  Messianic  idea  that  has 
its  own  special  development. 

Phinehas  and  his  seed  secure  by  covenant  an  ever- 
lasting priesthood ;  ^  they  become  the  priestly  mediators 
for  Israel,  as  Israel  itself  was  by  covenant  the  priestly 
mediator  for  the  nations.  This  covenant  was  renewed 
in  the  prediction  that  a  faithful  priesthood  would  take 
the  place  of  the  unfaithful  house  of  Eli.^  The  Messianic 
priesthood  is  thrown  into  the  background  by  the 
Messianic  king  until  the  time  of  Jeremiah,  when  the 
covenant  with  David  and  the  covenant  with  Phinehas 
are  represented  as  alike  eternal  and  irrevocable,  and 
as  certain  of  fulfilment  as  the  ordinances  of  heaven. 
Jeremiah  predicts  that  the  Levitical  priests  will  not  only 
be    an    everlasting    priesthood,   but    that    they   will    be 

1  Zech.  xii.  10-xiii.  1,  p.  464  2  ^ecli.  xiv.  6-10,  p.  466. 

«  Mai.  iii.,  p.  473.  *  Ex.  xix.  3-6,  p.  101. 


«   -NT 


Num.  XXV.  12,  13,  p.  109.  «  1  Sam.  ii.  35,  36,  p.  122. 


K 


THE  MESSIANIC  IDEAL.  (49 


composed  of  vast  numbers.^  Ezekiel  assigns  the  priest- 
hood in  the  new  temple  to  the  line  of  Zadok  on  account 
of  their  faithfulness,  and  lays  great  stress  upon  their 
sanctity ;  they  alone  are  admitted  to  the  ministry  in  the 
inner  court  of  the  new  temple.^  The  great  unknown 
gives  the  nations  a  share  in  the  Levitical  priesthood.^ 
Malachi  predicts  that  the  Levites  will  be  purified,  that 
they  may  offer  acceptable  sacrifices.*  Zechariah  sees  the 
priestly  and  the  royal  offices  in  the  symbol  of  living 
olive  trees  producing  a  perpetual  supply  of  holy  oil  for 
the  lampstand  that  gives  the  light  for  the  people  of  God ; 
and  then  sees  them  combined  on  one  throne  in  one  noble 
crown  and  in  one  holy  person.* 

IX.    THE  FAITHFUL  PROPHET. 

Moses  predicts  a  prophet  like  himself  divinely  autho- 
rized to  speak,  who  will  complete  the  divine  instruction, 
and  demand  obedience  under  the  penalty  of  divine  judg- 
ment.^ This  Messianic  prophet  does  not  reappear  in  the 
Messianic  idea  until  the  exile.  Then,  when  priest  and 
king  had  disappeared,  and  the  prophet  was  the  only 
minister  of  Jahveh,  the  Messianic  idea  gathered  about  the 
office  of  the  prophet.  This  prophet  is  a  great  sufferer. 
He  is  called  by  Jahveh  from  the  womb  and  assigned  his 
high  calling.  Jahveh  is  well  pleased  with  him,  and 
bestows  His  spirit  upon  him.  He  is  entirely  consecrated 
to  the  divine  service,  consumed  with  zeal  for  the  house 
of  God,  and  fasts,  prays,  and  preaches  to  the  poor  and 
the  afflicted.  He  is  concealed  for  a  season  in  a  condition 
of  humiliation.  He  is  surrounded  by  cruel  enemies,  who 
mock  him  for  his  trust  in  God,  and  persecute  him  with 

^  Jer.  xxxiii.  17-22,  p.  214.  ^  Ezek.  xliv.,  xlv.,  p.  283  seq. 

8  Isa.  Ixvi.  21,  p.  407.  *  Mai.  ii.  4-9,  iii.  3,  4,  p.  473. 

«  Zech.  vi.  13,  p.  442.  «  Deut.  xviii.  16-19,  p.  110. 


/. 


492  MESSIAOTC  PROPHECY. 

bitter  and  mocking  words ;  he  is  unattractive  in  form, 
despised  and  rejected,  a  man  of  sorrows  and  an  outcast ; 
he  is  innocent  as  a  lamb,  and  yet  is  pierced,  scourged, 
and  crushed  for  his  people  ;  his  body  is  stretched  and 
racked  with  pain,  his  frame  is  feverish,  and  in  his 
intense  thirst  his  enemies  give  him  vinegar  and  gall  to 
drink ;  his  hands  and  feet  are  pierced ;  he  is  plunged 
in  a  miry  and  watery  abyss,  and  is  dying  of  a  broken 
heart ;  his  enemies  are  dividing  his  garments  among 
them ;  he  is  abandoned  by  his  own  kindred ;  God 
delivers  him  over  to  the  will  of  his  enemies  for  a  season ; 
he  lays  upon  him  as  a  trespass-offering  the  iniquities  of 
all ;  and  the  servant  suffers  as  a  substitute,  and  dies  a 
martyr's  death.  But  his  heroic  patience  and  self-sacrifice 
are  at  last  rewarded ;  Jahveh  dehvers  him,  and  all  the 
meek  rejoice ;  He  highly  exalts  him,  and  rewards  him 
with  spoils  of  victory,  a  prosperous  ministry,  and  great 
honour ;  He  praises  his  deliverer  in  the  great  congTcga- 
tion ;  his  enemies  incur  a  dreadful  doom ;  but  he  be- 
comes the  great  preacher  of  redemption.  He  proclaims 
the  year  of  grace  and  the  day  of  judgment ;  he  trans- 
forms sorrow  into  joy,  and  rejoices  in  the  accomplishment 
of  his  ministry ;  he  dehvers  the  captives,  restores  Israel, 
and  becomes  the  covenant  of  the  people ;  he  is  the  light 
of  the  nations,  and  the  salvation  of  the  ends  of  the  earth; 
kings  and  princes  honour  him,  and  wonder  at  the  great- 
ness of  his  exaltation. 


X.    THE  MESSIANIC  KING. 

Tlie   doctrine  of  the  royal  Messiah  springs  from  the 
covenant  with  David.^     Jahveh  adopts  the  seed  of  David 

^  Pss.  xxii.,  xl.,  Ixix.,  Ixx.  ;  Isa.  xlii.  1-13,  xlix.  1-13,  hi.  13-liii., 
Ixi.,  pp.  320-373. 

2  2  Sam.  vii.  11-16,  p.  126. 


THE  MESSIANIC  IDEAL.  493 

as  His  son,  whom  He  will  chastise  by  human  agents,  for 
sin ;  but  will  never  forsake.  He  promises  to  build  the 
house  of  David  into  an  everlasting  dynasty.  The  seed 
of  David  takes  the  place  of  the  seed  of  Israel  in  the 
development  of  the  relation  of  divine  sonship.  The  royal 
Messiah  is  described  in  several  psalms.  Ps.  ex.  cites 
a  divine  utterance  and  oath  to  the  king  enthroning  him 
at  His  right  hand  as  the  priest-king  after  the  order  of 
Melchizedek,  and  then  describes  a  conflict  in  which  the 
Messiah  is  engaged  at  the  head  of  a  priestly  army.  God 
stands  at  his  right  hand,  and  gives  him  the  victory  over 
the  nations.-^  Ps.  ii.  represents  the  Messiah  enthroned  on 
Zion  at  the  right  hand  of  Jahveh  as  His  son,  citing  a 
divine  decree  entitling  him  to  the  position,  with  all  its 
prerogatives  of  universal  and  everlasting  sovereignty.^ 
Ps.  Ixxii.  represents  the  Messianic  king  ruling  in  right- 
eousness, mercy,  and  peace,  receiving  the  homage  of  the 
nations,  the  source  and  object  of  universal  blessing.^ 
Ps.  xlv.  describes  the  king  as  a  bridegroom  in  God-like 
majesty;  he  espouses  the  nations,  and  rejoices  over  them 
as  his  brides.* 

These  psalms  reflect  the  Messianic  hopes  of  the  Davidic 
period;  but  in  the  prophetic  period  the  decline  of  the 
dynasty  of  David  and  the  humiliation  of  the  kingdom 
give  the  predictions  of  the  Messianic  king  a  new  form. 
Amos  introduces  this  new  phase  of  the  royal  Messiah. 
The  ruined  house  of  David  will  be  restored  to  its  former 
prosperity ;  it  will  take  possession  of  the  nations  as  its 
inheritance.^  Hosea  predicts  that  Israel,  who  hud  for- 
saken the  house  of  David  and  Jahveh  at  the  same  time, 
will  eventually  return  in  penitence  to  Jahveh  and  the 
second  David.^ 

The  earlier  Zechariah  sees  Zion  rejoicing  at  the  advent 

1  P.  132.  2  p,  134,  3  p,  137.  4  p,  140. 

«  Amos  ix.  11,  12,  p.  161.  ^  Hos.  iii.  p.  174. 


494  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

of  her  king,  who  comes  meek  and  victorious,  riding  upon 
the  foal  of  an  ass.  He  has  destroyed  the  weapons  of 
war,  and  reigns  in  peace  over  the  earth.-^  The  reign  of 
peace  now  becomes  the  prominent  feature  of  the  ideal  of 
the  royal  Messiah  in  Isaiah  and  Micah.  A  wonderful 
child  will  be  born  of  a  young  woman,  and  be  named 
Immanuel.  He  is  the  sign  and  pledge  that  Jahveh  is  with 
His  people,  and  that  He  will  deliver  them.  Distress 
will  continue  in  the  land  until  his  maturity.^  A  great 
light  will  shine  upon  the  north-eastern  frontier  of  Israel, 
exalting  the  people  as  highly  as  they  had  been  previously 
humiliated,  as  the  first  of  the  Israelites  to  go  into  exile. 
A  great  deliverance  will  be  wrought,  transcending  that  of 
Gideon  in  the  day  of  Midian.  A  child  of  the  house  of 
David  will  be  born,  and  bear  the  names  Wonderful 
Counsellor,  Divine  Hero,  Distributor  of  Spoils,  and  Prince 
of  Peace.  He  will  reign  on  the  throne  of  David  in 
righteousness  for  ever.  All  military  equipments  will  be 
destroyed  in  order  to  universal  peace.^  A  twig  will  come 
forth  from  the  stump  of  Jesse,  and  a  shoot  from  his  roots 
will  be  fruitful.  The  sevenfold  gifts  of  the  divine  Spirit 
will  rest  upon  him,  arni  endow  him  to  fulfil  his  work 
of  judging  the  poor  with  spiritual  discernment,  and  the 
wicked  with  the  rod  of  his  mouth.  Girded  with  right- 
eousness and  faithfulness,  he  establishes  peace  in  the 
earth,  in  which  the  animal  kingdom  shares.  The  know- 
ledge of  God  becomes  universal.  He  becomes  the 
standard  about  which  the  nations  rally,  and  the  strife 
of  Ephraim  and  Judah  comes  to  an  end.^  A  ruler  will 
be  born  in  little  Bethlehem,  who  will  bear  the  name  of 
Peace.  He  will  go  forth  to  fulfil  the  ancient  promises, 
and  become  great  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth.^ 

1  Zech.  ix.  9,  10,  p.  184.  ^  j^^.  vii.  13-17,  p.  195. 

8  Isa.  viii.  2.3-ix.  6,  p.  198.  *  Isa.  xi.,  p.  201. 

»  Micah  V.  1-4,  p.  217. 


THE  MESSIANIC  IDEAL.  495 

The  ideal  of  the  Messianic  king  reached  its  height  in 
the  reign  of  Hezekiah,  and  in  the  predictions  of  Isaiah 
and  Micah.  In  the  subsequent  predictions  the  royal 
Messiah  retires  to  the  background,  and  when  he  appears 
in  the  prediction  it  is  in  a  less  brilliant  and  a  more 
subordinate  position.  Ps.  Ixxx.  refers  to  him  as  the 
man  of  the  right  hand  of  Jahveh,  and  entreats  Jahveh's 
favour  for  him.^  Jeremiah  describes  him  as  the 
righteous  branch,  who  will  bear  the  name  "Jahveh  is 
our  righteousness,"  and  declares  that  the  Davidic  mon- 
archy will  be  everlasting.^  He  also  predicts  that  a  very 
great  multitude  will  return  from  exile  and  serve  Jahveh 
their  God  and  David  their  king.^  Pss.  Ixxxix.  and  cxxxii. 
represent  that  Jahveh  is  faithful  to  His  covenant  with 
David  notwithstanding  the  decline  of  the  dynasty.  His 
mercies  are  everlasting.  He  will  cause  prosperity  and 
splendour  to  sprout  forth  for  David.*  Ezekiel  predicts 
that  the  tiara  of  the  priest  and  the  crown  of  the  king 
will  be  removed  until  the  advent  of  the  one  appointed 
by  Jahveh.^  This  one  is  the  second  David,  the  shepherd 
of  the  restoration,^  under  whose  sway  Israel  and  Judah 
will  be  reunited  for  ever.^ 

The  great  unknown  and  his  associates  know  nothing 
of  the  royal  Messiah.  The  divine  king  and  the  pro- 
phetic servant  absorb  their  attention.  The  royal  Messiah 
reappears  in  Zechariah  alone  of  the  prophets  of  the 
restoration.  He  bears  the  name  Branch.  He  is  to 
build  the  temple  of  Jahveh,  and  be  its  capstone.  He 
combines  the  priestly  and  royal  offices  in  his  noble 
crown,  and  becomes  the  perpetual  channel  of  the  divine 
grace. 

»  Ps.  Ixxx.  18,  p.  232.  2  Jer.  xxiii.  5-8,  xxxiii.  14^22,  p.  244. 

»  Jer.  XXX.  9,  p.  247.  *  Pp.  258  seq. 

»  Ezek.  xxi.  31,  32,  p.  270.        «  Ezek.  xxxiv.  23,  p.  272. 

f  Ezek.  xxxvii.  21-25,  p.  277. 

«  Zech.  iii.  8-iv.  14  vi.  9-15  p.  442. 


496  MESSIANIC  PEOPHECY. 

Daniel  sees  a  Messianic  prince  in  the  last  times  of 
affliction,  who  bears  the  brunt  of  the  troubles,  and  is  cut 
ofif  without  having  accomplished  the  redemption  of  his 
people/  The  author  of  Zech.  xiii.  xiv.  also  represents 
the  house  of  David  and  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem, 
lamenting  in  penitential  sorrow  the  death  of  their 
rejected  shepherd.  He  has  been  smitten  by  the  sword  of 
Jahveh  for  the  salvation  of  the  flock.^  The  smitten 
shepherd  and  slain  2^™ce  are  evidently  the  same,  but 
there  is  nothing  in  these  prophets  to  show  that  this 
martyr  is  to  be  connected  either  with  the  martjT  prophet 
of  the  great  unknown  and  his  associates,  or  with  the 
royal  Messiah.  The  comprehension  of  these  separate 
pictures  in  one  person  could  not  be  seen  until  the  advent 
of  Jesus  Christ,  who  combined  the  prophet  with  the 
priest  and  the  king,  and  who  suffered  and  died  that  He 
might  conquer  and  reign. 

XI.    THE  NEW  COVENANT. 

The  failure  of  the  old  covenant  and  its  institutions  to 
accomplish  the  work  of  redemption  and  to  realize  the 
Messianic  ideal,  showed  that  the  old  covenant  was  not 
the  last  word  of  God  to  man,  but  that  it  was  prepara- 
tory to  a  new  covenant  of  the  Messianic  age.  The 
conception  of  the  new  covenant  is  the  product  of  the 
prophetic  jjcriod.  Hosea  first  introduces  it  into  the 
Messianic  idea  in  the  form  of  a  remarriage  of  Jahveh 
to  Israel.  The  di^^ne  attributes  are  the  bonds  of  union, 
and  all  nature  is  included  in  the  covenant  of  universal 
peace  and  harmony.^ 

Jeremiah  unfolds  the  doctrine  of  the  new  covenant. 
Its  instruction  will  not  be  on  tables  of  stone,  but  on  the 

1  Dan.  ix.  26,  p.  421.  2  Zech.  xii.  10-xiii  1,  xiiL  7-9,  p.  482. 

8  Hos.  il  18-23,  p.  171. 


THE  MESSIANIC  IDEAL.  497 

heart.  There  will  be  no  need  of  teachers,  for  all  will 
know  Jahveh,  from  the  least  to  the  greatest/  Ezekiel 
describes  a  new  covenant  of  peace  that  will  secure 
exemption  from  war,  peace  with  the  animals,  and  fruit- 
fulness  of  the  land.  It  is  an  everlasting  covenant,  in 
which  Judah  and  Israel  will  be  united  under  the  second 
David,  and  which  will  secure  the  divine  presence  in 
their  midst  for  ever.^ 

The  great  unknown  connects  the  new  covenant  with 
the  prophetic  servant  of  Jahveh.  This  servant  is  the 
embodiment  of  the  new  covenant.  It  is  a  realization  of 
the  sure  mercies  of  David,  and  it  is  freely  offered  to  all 
who  will  partake  of  it.  It  is  an  everlasting  covenant, 
granting  security  from  fear  and  oppression,  and  the 
universal  recognition  of  all  who  share  in  it  as  the  seed 
of  divine  blessing.  They  are  disciples  of  Jahveh,  are 
under  His  divine  guidance  and  instruction ;  His  Spirit  is 
within  their  hearts ;  His  words  are  in  their  mouths ;  and 
they  enjoy  everlasting  peace.^ 

We  have  in  the  Messianic  prophecy  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment an  organic  system  constantly  advancing  on  the 
original  lines,  and  expanding  into  new  and  more  com- 
prehensive phases  with  the  progress  of  the  centuries. 
Vast  and  complex  that  organism  is, — so  complex  that 
the  wisest  sages  of  Israel  could  not  comprehend  it, — as 
vast  as  the  difference  between  a  divine  advent  and  a 
human  advent,  as  contrasted  as  a  suffering  and  a  reigning 
Messiah,  as  an  advent  of  grace  and  revival,  and  as  an 
advent  of  judgment  and  perdition;  and  yet  there  is  a 
unity  in   all   this  variety  and   complexity  that  no   one 

1  Jer.  xxxi.  31-37,  p.  256. 

2  Ezek.  xxxiv.  25-31,  xxxvii.  26-28,  pp.  272  and  277. 

3  Isa.  xlii.  6,  liv.  10-17,  Iv.  3,  lix.  21,  Ixi.  8,  9,  pp.  345,  363, 
368,  370,  and  391. 

2  I 


498  MESSIANIC  PROPHECY. 

could  discern  until  Jesus  Christ  was  bom,  God  manifest 
in  the  flesh ;  until  He  passed  through  the  experience  of 
a  suffering  Messiah,  and  advanced  to  His  throne  as  the 
reigning  Messiah;  until  the  advent  of  the  Holy  Spirit  at 
Pentecost  warned  of  the  advent  of  the  great  and  terrible 
day  of  judgment. 

In  Jesus  of  Nazareth  the  key  of  the  Messianic  pro- 
phecy of  the  Old  Testament  has  been  found.  All  its 
phases  find  their  realization  in  His  unique  personality, 
in  His  unique  work,  and  in  His  unique  kingdom.  The 
Messiah  of  prophecy  appears  in  the  Messiah  of  history. 
The  redemption  predicted  as  the  completion  of  the  redemp- 
tion experienced  in  greater  and  richer  fulness  in  the 
successive  stages  of  the  old  covenant  is  at  last  completed 
in  the  Messiah  of  the  cross  and  of  the  throne,  in  the 
Lamb  that  was  slain  for  the  redemption  of  men,  but  who 
ever  liveth  as  the  fountain  of  life,  and  the  owner  of  the 
keys  of  Hades. 

Hebrew  prophecy  vindicates  its  reality,  its  accuracy, 
its  comprehensive  ideality  as  a  conception  of  the  divine 
mind,  as  a  deliverance  of  the  divine  energy,  as  a  system 
constructed  by  holy  men  who  spoke  as  they  were  moved 
by  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  Messiah  of  prophecy  and  the 
Messiah  of  history,  the  redemption  of  Hebrew  prediction 
and  the  redemption  of  Christian  possession,  are  not 
diverse,  but  entirely  harmonious  in  the  Lamb,  who  was 
foreordained  before  the  foundation  of  the  world,  but  was 
manifest  in  these  last  times  of  its  history.-^  For  it  was 
the  same  divine  Being  who  devised  the  redemption  of  the 
world,  who  revealed  it  in  prophetic  prediction,  who 
prepared  for  it  in  the  development  of  liistory,  who 
accomplished  it  in  time  and  eternity.  Hebrew  prophecy 
springs  from  divinity  as  its  source  and  ever  -  flowing 
inspiration,  and  it  points  to  divinity  as  its  fruition  and 
1  Pet.  i.  20. 


X 


THE  MESSIANIC  IDEAL. 


499 


complete  realization.  None  but  God  could  give  such 
prophecy ;  none  but  God  can  fulfil  such  prophecy.  The 
ideal  of  prophecy  and  the  real  of  history  correspond  in 
Him,  who  is  above  the  limits  of  time  and  space  and 
circumstance,  who  is  the  creator,  ruler,  and  saviour  of 
the  world,  and  who  alone  has  the  wisdom,  the  grace,  and 
the  power  tojconceive  the  idea  of  redemption,  and  then 
accomplish  it  in  reality  through  the  incarnation,  cruci- 
fixion, resurrection,  ascension,  and  second  advent  of  His 
only  begotten  and  well-beloved  Son,  very  God  of  very 
God,  the  Light  and  Life  and  Saviour  of  the  world. 


INDEX  OF  TEXTS. 


Genesis. 


Genesis — continued. 


PAGE 

PAGE 

i.l,  .    .    . 

.       172 

xxvii.  27-29, 

91 

i.  2,    .        .        . 

.       297 

xxvii.  29,    . 

.       123 

i.7,    .       .       . 

.       242 

xxviii.  1-4, 

92 

i.  19,  .        .        . 

.       395 

xxviii.  12  seq.,    . 

15 

i.  26-30,      . 

69,  476 

xxviii.  13-16,      . 

91 

ii.  1,    .        .        . 

.        275,  276 

xxviii.  18  seq.,    . 

98 

iii.  14,  15,  . 

74,  461,  478 

XXXV.  9-12, 

92 

viii.  20-22,. 

.        .        78 

XXXV.  14, 

98 

ix.  26,  27,  . 

80,  478 

xii.,    . 

40 

xii.  1,  2,     . 

.       384 

xliv.  5, 

37 

xii.  1-3,      .         .  84,  J 

572,  481,  484 

xlvi.  3, 

.       147 

xii.  1-5,      . 

91 

xlviii.  15, 

98 

xii.  2, 

86 

xlix., 

'.        117,  ] 

L58,  163,  271 

xii.  3,          .        .        . 

.  86,  89 

xlix.  8-12, 

94,  481 

xiii.  14-17, 

91 

xlix.  22, 

.       231 

xiii.  14-18, 

86 

xlix.  22-26, 

98,  481 

xiv.  8,         .         ,        , 

.      174 

xlix.  24, 

229,  483 

xiv.  18,       .        .        . 

4 

xlix.  27, 

1       •       1 

,       200 

XV.,     .          •         .          . 

40 

XV.  1,           .         .         . 

16 

Exodus. 

XV.  4,  5,      . 

86 

XV.  12  seq.,          . 

15 

iii.  8,  . 

.       158 

XV.  18-21,  . 

87 

iv.  16, 

.       260 

xvii.,  .         .         ,         , 

92 

iv.  22, 

.       135 

xvii.  1-5,     .         •         , 

92 

iv.  22,  23, 

100,  482 

xvii.  1-8,     , 

.  88,  92 

iv.  25, 

.       261 

xvii.  6,        .         .         , 

92 

xiii.  9, 

.       375 

xviii.,          ,         . 

89 

xiv.  19  seq. 

194 

xviii.  17-19,        •         , 

86 

XV.  8, 

.        141,  469 

xviii.  18,     . 

89 

XV.  13,  17, 

.       434 

xix.  24,       .        .         , 

.       283 

XV.  21, 

.       434 

xix.  24-28, 

.       313 

xvii.  1-7, 

.       450 

XX.  9,          .         .         . 

.       329 

xvii'.  15, 

.       245 

xxii.  15-18, 

88 

xviii. , 

4 

xxii.  18,      . 

89,  139 

xix.  3-6, 

01,  372,  490 

XXV.  23,  24, 

90 

xix.  4, 

.       474 

xxvi.  4,       .         .         , 

.       139 

xix.  6, 

.       483 

xxvi.  24,     . 

.  90,  91 

xix.  18, 

.       283 

501 


502 


INDEX  OF  TEXTS. 


XX.  22-xxiii., 
xxi.  32, 
xxiii.  20-33, 
xxiii.  21,     . 
xxiii.  25-31, 
xxxiv.  12-28, 
xxxiv.  29,  30, 
xlix.  27,      . 


Exodus — continued. 

PAGE 

.  109 
.  173 
.  115 
.  117 
.  116 
109,  115 


Leviticus, 


viii.  8, 
xxvi.,. 
xxvi.  3-12, 
xxvi.  5, 
xxvi.  8, 
xxvi.  16-45, 
xxvi.  39,     . 


Numbers, 


17-24,    . 
X.  35, 

xii.  6-8,      . 
XX.  1-13,     . 
xxii.  12,      . 
xxiii. -xxiv., 
xxiii.  7, 
xxiii.  9, 10, 
xxiii.  7-10, 
xxiii.  20-24, 
xxiv.  5-9,   , 
xxiv.  15,  16, 
xxiv.  17-19, 
xxiv.  20-24, 
XXV.  1, 
XXV.  3,  5,    . 
XXV.  12,  13, 
xxvi. , 
xxvi.  3-12, 
xxvi.  8, 
xxvi.  10,     . 


234 
200 


38 
115,  158 
117 
162 


110, 


119 
311 


229 

433 

13 

450 
105 
4,  41 
331 
484 
106 
106 
107 
13 

107,  484 
108 
159 
239 

123,  490 


Deuteronomy. 


X.  16, 
xiii.  17, 
xvii.,  . 
xvii.  14-20, 
xviii.  14-22, 
xviii.  16-19, 
xviii.  18,     . 


115 
117 

399 
283 


111 

249 
287 
122 

23 
111,  491 

13 


Deuteeonomt — continued. 


xxvii.-xxviii., 
xxviii.  3-13, 
xxviii.  63-68, 
XXX.  11-14, 
xxxii.,          , 
xxxii.  2,      , 
xxxii.  8, 
xxxii.  6-10, 
xxxii.  10,    . 
xxxii.  14,    . 
xxxii.  20-42, 
xxxii.  29,  30, 
xxxii.  30,    . 
xxxii.  42,    . 
xxxiii., 
xxxiii.  2,     . 
xxxiii.  2,  3, 
xxxiii.  8,     . 
xxxiii.  29,  . 
xxxiv.  5,     . 


PAGE 

115 
116 
119 
333 

115,  474 
273 

299,  431 
101 
252 
303 
118 
116 
399 
432 
236 
229,  234,  434 
431 
450 
184 
841 


Joshua. 


vu.-vni.,     . 
vii.  14  seq., 
X.  11, 
xi.  13, 
xiv.-xix.,    , 
xxiv.  29,      . 


v., 
V.  2,   . 

V.  4,   . 
V.  4-5, 
V.  7,  11, 
V.  12, 
V.  16, 
V.  18, 
V.  20, 
V.  20,  22, 
vii.,    . 
vii.  22, 


Judges. 


1  Samuel. 


ii.  1-10, 
ii.  35,  36, 
vii.  8, 
X.  5  scq., 
xiv.  20, 


172 

38 
431 
249 

38 
341 


.  236 
.  133 
.       234 

430,  434 
.       235 

431,  434 
.  434 
.  435 
.  283 
.  431 
.  133 
.       283 


125,  487 
122,  490 
.       157 


INDEX  OF  TEXTS. 


503 


1  Samuel — continued. 


xiv.  43, 
xix.  23  seq, 
XXV.  18, 
xxviii. , 
xxviii.  6, 
XXX.  7  seq., 


9 

173 

36 

38 
38 


2  Samuel. 


VI.,      . 

vii.,    . 
vii.  11-16, 

vii.  15, 
XX.  8, 
xxii.,  . 
xxii.  44-51, 
xxiii.  1-7,  . 


.       145 

137,  143,  162,  168 

126,  128,  135,  448, 

479,  484,  492 

261 

239 

144 

145 

131 


1  Kings. 


Vll.  23, 
viii.  48, 
xi.  30,  31,  . 
xviii.  26  seq., 


2  Kings. 


xiv.  12-14, 
xiv.  24,  25, 
XV.  29, 
xix. -XX.,     . 
xxii.,  . 
xxii.  8  seq., 
xxiii.  29,     . 
xxiii.  29.  30, 


1  Chronicles. 


xi.  25, 
xiii.  5, 

XV.,      . 

xvii.  10-14, 


2  Chronicles. 


iv.  6,  . 
xvii.  10-14, 
xviii. , 

XX.  22-24,  . 
XX.  23, 


254 

149 

46 

8 


160 

160 
198 
180 
220 
333 
464 
220 


2  Chronicles — contimied. 


.  204 
.  263 
.  145 
126.  128 


193 

448 

19 

471 

283 


xxi.  16, 
xxiv.  11, 
XXV.  17-24. 
xxvi., 
XXX.  4, 
xxxiv. , 
XXXV.  20-25, 


V.  1,  . 
vi.  14, 


Ezra. 


ix.  19,  22,  . 


i.  8,    . 
iii.  24, 
V.  5,  . 
ix.  7,  . 
xiv.  10, 
xvi.  16, 
xix.  6-22, 
XX.  8, 
XX.  23, 
xxiv.  7, 
xxvi.  12, 
xxix.  12, 
xxxi.  26, 
xxxi.  36, 
xxxviii.  22 
xxxix.  20, 
xlii.  2, 


Esther. 


Job. 


Psalms, 


PAGB 

155 
396 
160 
160 
150 
220 
220 


436 
436 


Nehemiah. 
xiii.  23-31,         ...       473 


204 


.  341 
230,  335 
459 
76 
157 
214 
332 
131 
222 
469 
254 
139 
469 
447 
431 
185 
149 


ii.,   132,  134,  140,  143,  174,  185, 
201,  493 
.   136 
.   253 
150 
172,  232,  347,  461,  476 
.   141 


ii.  2,  . 
iii.  6,  . 
vii.  6, 
viii. ,  . 
viii.  5, 
viii.  6, 
ix.  1,  . 


216 


504 


INDEX  OF  TEXTS. 


TsALUS— continued. 

Psalms 

—continued. 

PAGE 

FAQB 

xi.  6,  .        . 

150,  222 

Ixix.  5,       . 

.       328 

XV.,      . 

212 

Ixix.  14,      . 

.       370 

xvL,  . 

148,  477 

Ixix.  21,      . 

.       357 

xrii.  15,      . 

70 

Ixx.,   .         . 

327,  332,  333,  492 

xviii. , 

143,  236 

Ixxii.,         137, 

140,  163,  185,  201, 

xviii.  2, 

.       194 

265,  493 

xviii.  7, 

.       283 

Ixxii.  6, 

.       273 

xviii.  8, 

.       229 

Ixxii.  17,     . 

95 

xviii.  10,     . 

.       235 

Ixxiv.  1,      . 

.       229 

xviii.  43-50, 

.       145 

Ixxv.  9,       . 

.       214 

xviii.  48,     . 

456 

Ixxviii.  56, 

.       229 

xxii.,           .  32 

3,*327 

,  33-: 

),  336,  492 

Ixxix.  13,    . 

.       229 

xxii,  7, 

354,  357 

Ixxx.,  50,  228, 

229,  270,  273,  308, 

xxii.  16,      . 

.       424 

317, 

376,  483,  485,  495 

xxii.  23,  26, 

.       329 

Ixxx.  2,       . 

.       483 

xxii.  27,      . 

.       332 

Ixxx.  6, 

.       335 

xxiv., 

145,  484 

Ixxx.  10-12, 

.       420 

xxiv.  1, 

.       238 

Ixxx.  14,     . 

.        238,  404 

xxiv.  3-6,  . 

.       212 

Ixxx.  18,     . 

.       495 

xxiv.  10,     . 

.       146 

Ixxxii., 

.       299 

xxiv.  3-6,   . 

.       212 

Ixxxii.  6,     . 

.       141 

XXX.  5, 

.       214 

Ixxxiv.  11,  . 

.       229 

xxxii.  1, 

.       329 

Ixxx  v.. 

457,  458,  477 

xxxii.  10,    . 

.       252 

Ixxxvii., 

226,  352,  380,  486 

xxxiv.  6,     . 

.       395 

Ixxxix., 

258,  262,  495 

XXXV.  12,    , 

16 

Ixxxix.  11, 

227,  328 

xxx^±  7,     . 

230,  431 

IxxxLx.  24, 

.       124 

xxxviii.  6,  . 

.       311 

Ixxxix.  40,  41, 

.       231 

xl.,       327,  332 

333, 

356 

361,  492 

xc.  14, 

.       214 

xlii.  3, 

.       230 

xci.,    . 

.        460,  477 

xlii.  4, 

335 

xci.  4, 

474 

xlv.,     140,  173, 

iso. 

226, 

228,  493 

xciii., 

448,  449,  453,  485 

xlv.  2, 

16 

xciii.  2, 

.       451 

xlvi.,. 

215, 

238, 

479,  484 

xciv.  4, 

.       371 

xlvi.  4, 

.       158 

xcv.-c, 

229,  448,  485 

xlvi.  5,        . 

420,  471 

xcv.,  . 

451,  483 

xlvii., 

448,  456 

xcv.  7, 

.       483 

xlvii.  4, 

.       145 

xcvi.,  . 

.        452,  454,  486 

xlviii. , 

215, 

216, 

479,  484 

xcvi.  1, 

.       328 

].,        .         . 

237,  487 

xcvii., 

.       453 

1.  2,    . 

229 

xcviii.. 

454,  486 

1.  11,  . 

231,  404 

xcviii.  1,     . 

.       328 

Ix.  5,  . 

.       467 

xcviii.  9,     . 

.       452 

Ixii.,  . 

.       201 

xcix.. 

455,  486 

Ixiii.  11,      . 

.       150 

c,       . 

.        455,  483 

Ixv.  11,       . 

.       273 

c.  3,    . 

.       483  ■ 

Ixviii.,   428,  429 

,*433, 

*457 

485,  486 

cvi.  28, 

.       239 

Ixriii.  15,  16, 

.       182 

cvii.  27, 

.       206 

Ixviii.  31,  32, 

.       486 

ex.,     132,  137,  1 

43,  174,  185,  201, 

Ixix., 

327, 

329, 

332,  492 

232,  448,  493 

Ixix.  2, 

.       186 

ex.  2, 

.        141 

Ixix.  3,  14, 

.       328 

ex.  4, 

.       447 

INDEX  OF  TEXTS. 


505 


PsA-LUS— continued. 

PAGE 

IsAiMJ— continued. 

PAGE 

cxii.9,        .         .         .        .       124   1 

viii.  6, 

.       213 

ex  v.,  . 

cxviii.  22,   . 

.       212 
.       442 

viii.  18,       . 
viii.  19,       . 

195 

8,  37,  38 
.       199 
.       187 
.       185 

cxviii.  22,  23,      , 

210,  445 

viii.  23,       . 

cxxvi.  2,      . 
cxxxii.,        258,  S 

.       124 
263,  264,  480,  495 

ix.  1, . 

ix.  1-7,       . 

cxxxii.  17,  . 
cxxxix.  11, 

.         .       124 

76 

ix.  4, . 

ix.6            .         .        1 

214 
197,  218,  447 

cxl.  13, 

.       149 

X.  27,          .         . 

247 

cxliv.  12-15. 

.       459.  477 

X.  28-34,     . 

215 

\/^VX  L  T  •      ^S*       A  V^  J                     *                        -                      -    '        0 

xi.,      218,  233,  350,  4 

104,  448,  494 

xi.  1,  . 

194,  245,  361 

Proveebs. 

xi.  1  seq.,  . 

.       197 

xi.  1-9,       . 

.       185 

X.  31 15 

xi.  2,  . 

.       442 

xxii.  5, 

459 

xi.  2  seq.,  . 

.       246 

xxiii.  18,     . 

211 

xi.  4,.         .         .         . 

.       355 

XXV.  4, 

304 

xi.  6-9,       . 

.       477 

xxvi.  12,     . 

254 

xi.  9,  . 

.       233 

xxvii.  4,      . 

388 

xi.  15,  16,  . 

187,  309 

xxxi.  2, 

136 

xii.  2, 

.       301 

xxxi.  26,     . 

469 

xiii.-xiv.,  . 

.       292 

xxxi.  27,     . 

234 

xiii.-xiv.  23, 

191,  309 

xxxi.  36,     . 

447 

xiii.  1-13,  . 

310,  488 

xiii.  3, 

.       157 

xiv.  24-xxiii.,     . 

.       192 

Song  op  Solomon. 

xvii.  12,      . 

.       186 

i.  3,    .        . 

ii.  1,  2,       . 
iii.  1, 
iii.  6, 

142 
177 
150 
252 
142 
252 

xviii.  7, 
xix.,   . 
xix.  16-25, 
xix.  18,       . 
xix.  18-25, 

206,  486 
.       352 

207,  486 
.       193 
225-228 

iv.  13  seq., 
V.  6,  .        . 

xix.  21,       . 
xxiii.  18,    . 

.       392 
206,  486 

xxiv. -xxvii.,       .      1 

91,  295,  399, 

Isaiah. 

488,  489 

xxiv.  10,  19,  20, 

406 

i.-xii.,         ....       192 

XXV.  6-8,    . 

320,  481 

ii.-v.. 

.       192 

XXV.  7,  8,    . 

.       406 

ii.,      . 

50 

xxvi.  1, 

.        399,  440 

ii.  1-4, 

.       181 

xxvi.  11,     . 

.       299 

ii.  2,  . 

181,  420,  480 

xxvi.  19,     . 

.       426 

ii.  5,  . 

.       193 

xxvii.  6,      . 

.       405 

iv.,     . 

212,  268,  350 

xxviii.  16,  . 

.       479 

iv.  2-6, 

.        194,  489 

xxviii.-xxxiii.,    . 

.       192 

iv.  5,  6, 

.       244 

xxviii.  14-18,      . 

209,  445 

iv.  6, . 

.       356 

xxviii.  15,  . 

.       211 

v., 

.       308 

xxviii.  16,  . 

.        226,  442 

vi.-xii., 

.       192 

xxviii.  16-18,      . 

.       485 

vii.  13-17, 

196,  494 

xxviii.  22,  . 

.       222 

vii.  14, 

.        218,  246 

XXX.  7,        . 

.       227 

viii.  23-ix. 

6, 

i 

m,  494 

xxxiii.. 

.        210,  213 

506 


INDEX  OF  TEXTS. 


IsATA-R— continued.               | 

Isaiah — continued. 

PAGE 

PAGE 

xxxiii.  6,     . 

.       318 

xliii.  1-7,    . 

.       349 

xxxiii.  12,  . 

.       231 

xliii.  3,        ,         .         . 

.       433 

xxxiii.  13-24,      . 

.       211 

xliii.  4,        .         ,         . 

.       346 

xxxiii.  20-24, 

.       479 

xliii.  16-21, 

.       350 

xxxiii.  21,   . 

215,  420,  471 

xliv.  1-5,     . 

351,  489 

xxxiii.  23,  . 

.       200 

xliv.  5. 

.       486 

xxxiv.-xxxv.,     191,  292,  310,  317,   | 

xliv.  22,      . 

398,  458 

337 

xliv.  24,       . 

.       177 

xxxiv., 

.       488 

xliv.  28,       . 

.       340 

xxxiv.  4,      . 

.       470 

xlv.  1,          .         .         . 

.       340 

XXXV.,          313,  i 

543,  351,  365,  481 

xlv.  14,        .         .         , 

.       433 

XXXV.  5, 

.       378 

xlv.  16,        .         .         . 

.       452 

XXXV.  7, 

.        354,  356 

xlv.  17,        .         .         . 

.       184 

xxxvi.-xxxix.,     . 

.       295 

xlv.  21-25, 

379,  486 

xxxvii.-xxxviii., 

.       180 

xlvi.  11,      . 

.       340 

xl.-lxvi.,    191,  2 

04,  247,  292,  310, 

xlviii.  1,      . 

.       432 

U9,  337,  408,  428 

xlviii.  1-11, 

.       340 

xl.-xlviii.,  . 

.       309 

xlviii.  17-22, 

.       380 

xl.-xlvi.,     , 

.       204 

xlviii.  20,    . 

434,  440 

xl.-xli.  10, 

.       340 

xlviii.  20-22, 

.       339 

xl.,      . 

.       361 

xlviii.  22,    . 

.       338 

xl.  1,  2,       . 

.       489 

xlix.  22-lx.  4,      . 

.       404 

xl.  1-11,      . 

.       376 

xlix.,  .         .         . 

356,  407 

xl.  1-12,      . 

.       339 

xlix.  1-7,    .         . 

.       372 

xl.  3,  .         379, 

393,  401,  433,  473 

xlix.  1-13,  . 

340,  492 

xl.  4,  .         . 

.       377,  443 

xlix.  2, 

.       361 

xl.  5,  10,     . 

.       454 

xlix.  2,  7,    . 

.       384 

xl.  6,  . 

.       393 

xlix.  7,         .        328,  J 

546,  357,  361 

xl.  9,  .         . 

309,  434,  451 

xlix.  8, 

.       370 

xl.  10, 

.       401 

xlix.  9-13,  . 

.       481 

xl.  11, 

433,  456,  483 

xlix.  14,      . 

.       401 

xli.-xlii.,     . 

.       485 

xlix.  14-22, 

.       482 

xli.  13-xlii.  13, 

.       340 

xlix.  14-23,          .        J 

J83,  389,  397 

xli.  8-10,     . 

.       341 

xlix.  15,  16, 

.       433 

xli.  11,  12, . 

.       452 

xlix.  17,      . 

.       400 

xli.  14-20,  . 

.       351 

xlix.  18,      . 

.       395 

xli.  15, 

.       355 

xlix.  18,  22, 

.       397 

xli.  15-20,  . 

.       343 

xlix.  19,  21, 

.       390 

xli.  18-20,  . 

.       481 

xlix.  20,  21, 

.       440 

xli.  18, 

.       350 

xlix.  21-25, 

.       485 

xlii.  18-xliv.  23, 

.       340 

xlix.  22,      . 

395,  398 

xlii.  1, 

.       355 

xlix.  23,      . 

346,  399,  4S0 

xlii.  1-7,     . 

.       372 

1.  4-11,        .         . 

.       356 

xlii.  1-13,   . 

345,  492 

li.  1,    .         .         . 

432 

xlii.  3, 

.       370 

H.  1-8, 

.       385 

xlii.  6, 

.       355,  497 

li.  3,    .         .         . 

.        477,  481 

xlii.  10, 

328,  451 

li.  9,    .        .         . 

303,  328,  454 

xlii.  13, 

.       222 

li.  11, 

.       338 

xlii.  14,       . 

393,  401 

11.  15, 

.       254 

xlii.  14-17, 

.       339,  377 

li.  17-22,     . 

.       467 

xlii.  16, 

433 

lii.  13-liii., 

340,  387,  492 

xlii.  17,       . 

.       452 

lii.  7,  . 

451 

INDEX  OF  TEXTS. 


607 


Isaiah— continued. 


Hi.  7,  8, 

lii.  7-12, 

lii.  8,  . 

lii.  10, 

lii.  11, 

lii.  11,  12, 

lii.  15, 

liii.,  . 

liii.  4, 

liii.  5, 

liii.  9, 

liii.  12, 

liv.  1-3, 

liv.  1-17, 

liv.  5, 

liv.  6, 

liv.  10-17, 

liv.  11,  12, 

liv.  11-14, 

liv.  12, 

liv.  13-17, 

Iv.,   . 

Iv.  1-5, 

Iv.  3,  . 

Iv.  12, 

Iv.  12,  13, 

Ivi.  1-8, 

Ivi.  6,  7,   , 

Ivi.  7, 

Ivii.  11, 

Ivii.  11-21, 

Ivii.  14, 

Ivii.  14-21, 

Ivii.  20,  21, 

Iviii.-lix., 

Iviii.,  . 

Iviii.  8-14, 

Iviii.  12, 

lix.,  . 

lix.  16-21, 

lix.  21, 

Ix.,  346,  397, 


Ix.  4,  . 
Ix.  5,  . 
Ix.  5,  6, 
Ix.  14, 
Ix.  18, 
Ix.  19, 
Ix.  19,  20, 
Ixi.,  . 
Ixi.  2, 


356,  422; 


.  434 
386,  485 

.   402 

.  454 
338,  440 

.  339 
328,  346 
463, 


478 

95 

360 

424 

367 

440 

389,  483,  489 

.   402 

.   346 

.   497 

.   399 

.   437 

.   480 

.   399 

.   340 

.   486 

.   497 

.   454 

477,  481 

392,  407,  486 
.   480 
.   401 
393,  485 
379,  401,  433,  473 
339 
338 
340 
338 
367 
370 
.367 
368 
497 

407,  437,  469,  480, 
485,  486 
382 
124 
433 
441 
440 
474 
471 
340,  394,  492 
.   312 


ISAIAH- 


Ixi, 

Ixi.  : 

Ixii., 

Ixii. 

Ixii. 

Ixii. 

Ixii. 

Ixii. 

Ixii. 

Ixiii. 

Ixiii. 

ixiii. 

Ixiii. 

ixiii. 

Ixiii. 

Ixv.- 

Ixv. 

Ixv. 

Ixv. 

Ixv. 

Ixv. 

Ixvi. 

Ixvi. 

Ixvi. 

Ixvi. 

Ixvi. 

Ixvi. 

Ixvi. 


5,  6, 


4, 

6,  11,  . 

8, 

10,  . 
10-12, 

11,  12, 
-Ixvi., 

7-lxvi., 

1-4,    . 

1-6,     313, 

4, 

6,  ^  . 
-Ixvi.,  . 
1 7-lxvi., 
17,  . 
17  seq., 
20,  . 
25,       . 

11,      . 

17,  . 

18,  . 

20,  21, 

21,  . 

23,  . 

24,  312, 


—continued. 

PAGE 

.       486 

.       497 

401,  480,  483 

224,  441 

.       434 

.       454 

433,  440,  473 

339,  485 

.       489 

.       402 

.       403 

.       316 

315,  339,  402,  488 

.       312 

.       318 

.       403 

.       406 

477,  481 


.  480 
.  441 
.  338 
.  238 
.  338 
.  440 
.  486 
.  491 
.  471 
338,  421,  427,  475, 
488 


Jeremiah 


i.  4-10, 

i.  5,  . 

i.  18,  19, 

ii.-xxiv., 

ii.  10, 

iii., 

iii.  14, 

iii.  14-18,  243,  287, 


iii.  17, 
iv.  5,  6, 
ix.  1,  2, 
ix.  23,  24, 
xi.  1,  . 
xxii.  7, 
xxiii., 
xxiii.  5, 
xxiii.  5,  6, 
xxiii.  5-8, 
xxiii.  6, 


.   239 

.   356 

.   240 

.   241 

.   204 

257,  273 

308,  482 

397,  437,  446, 

472 

395,  440,  480 

244 

.   240 

.   125 

.   245 

.   309 

18 

194,  245,  442 

.   244 

246,  444,  495 

.   245 


INDEX  OF  TEXTS. 


Jerem  I  ah — continued. 


Lamentations — continued. 


PAGE 

PAGE 

xxiii.  19,  20,        .         .         .       249 

i.  20,  . 

.       214 

xxiii.  31,     . 

16 

ii.  6,    . 

.       225 

xxiv.-xxvii., 

295 

ii.  7,   . 

.       261 

xxiv., 

46 

ii.  11, 

.       214 

XXV. -xl  v.,    . 

241 

iii.  15, 

230,  331,  335 

XX  vi.  13,     . 

95 

iii.  53-58, 

.       328 

xxvi.  18,     . 

216 

iv.  7,  . 

.       329 

xxix.  10,     . 

425 

iv.  21,  22, 

.       316 

xxx.-xxxi., 

55,  2 

68,  385 

XXX.  12-xxxi., 

489 

Ezekiel. 

XXX.  9, 

495 

XXX.  10,      . 

341 

i.-iii.  21,     . 

.       267 

XXX.  11,        . 

2 

22,  304 

i          .         , 

15 

XXX.  14,  15, 

328 

i.  18,  .         . 

.       442 

XXX.  22, 

249 

iii.  22-xxiv., 

.       267 

XXX.  23,  24, 

249 

vi.  59, 

.       149 

xxxi.  1, 

249 

xi.  16, 

.       479 

xxxi.  8,       . 

440 

xi.  16-20,    . 

.       268 

xxxi.  10,     . 

204 

xvii.  22, 

.       230 

xxxi.  15,  16, 

390 

xvii.  22-24, 

270,  420,  485 

xxxi.  18-20, 

482 

xxi.  21, 

37 

xxxi.  31-37, 

497 

xxi.  21-23, 

37 

xxxi.  33,     . 

3 

33,  385 

xxi.  31,  32, 

271,  485,  495 

xxxi.  33,  34, 

391 

xxi.  32, 

96 

xxxi.  38-40, 

480 

xxiv.  3, 

.       303 

xxxi.  38,      . 

304 

xxiv.  23,      . 

.       311 

xxxi.  40,     . 

397 

xxv.-xxxii.. 

.       267 

xxxiii. , 

257,  258,  265,  365 

XXV.  8,  12-14, 

.       316 

xxxiii.  14-22, 

.       244,  246,  390, 

xxvi.  10,     . 

.       318 

444,  495 

xxvii.  15,    . 

.       139 

xxxiii.  15,  . 

245,  442 

xxviii.  10,  . 

.       359 

xxxiii.  16,  .        224,  245,  397,  441, 

xxxiii.-xlviii., 

.       267 

480 

xxxiii.  10,  . 

.       311 

xxxiii.  17-22,      ,         .         .491 

xxxiv. , 

279,  365 

xxxiii.  21,  . 

209 

xxxiv.  11-31, 

273,  483 

xxxiii.  21,  . 

.       341 

xxxiv.  23,   . 

.       495 

xxxi  V. -XXXV., 

.       292 

xxxiv.  25,  . 

.       391 

xxxvi.-xxxix.. 

.       295 

xxxiv.  25-27, 

.       319 

xxxviii.  6,  . 

.       328 

xxxiv.  25-31, 

.       497 

xlvi.-li., 

.       241 

xxxvi.  25-35, 

274,  385,  391,  481 

xlvi.  27,  28, 

.       341 

xxxvi.  35,  . 

319,  477 

xlix.  7-22,  . 

.       316 

xxxvii., 

.       176 

xlix.  14  seq., 

.       315 

xxxvii.  7-14, 

276,  426,  489 

li.  27, 

.       157 

xxxvii.  15  seq., 

46 

li.  27,  28,    . 

.       309 

xxxvii.  21-25, 

.        489,  495 

li.  33, 

.       405 

xxxvii.  21-28, 

.       278 

U.  34, 

.       193 

xxxvii.  25,  . 

.       341 

xxxvii.  26, 

.       391 

Lamentations. 

xxxvii.  26-28, 
xxx-viii.-xxxix.. 

.       497 
281,  468,  487 

i  4, 225 

xxxviii. , 

.       312 

i.  16,  . 

95 

xxxviii.  19 

seq., 

.       306 

INDEX  OF  TEXTS. 


509 


EzEKiEL — continued. 


HosEA — continued. 


PAGE 

PAGE 

xxxviii.  20, 

.           310 

i.  9,  10 187 

xxxix., 

.       312,  488 

i.  6,     . 

.       242 

xxxix.  29,   . 

.       465 

i.  6  seq.,      . 

.       186 

xl.-xlviii.,  . 

.       400 

i.  6,  7,         . 

.       187 

xl.-xlix.,     . 

.       284,  437 

i.  10,  . 

.       482 

xl.  seq.,       . 
xl.  2,  . 

50 

ii.-iii., 

.       488 

.       181 

ii.. 

173,  201,  243,  256 

xl.  38, 

.       193 

ii.  3-20,      . 

.      171 

xl.  46, 

.       287 

ii.  7,   .        . 

.       131 

xliii.  19,      . 

.       287 

ii.  15, 

.       187 

xliv.-xlv.,  . 

.       491 

ii.  18, 

.       477 

xliv.  15  seq., 

.       287 

ii.  18-23,     . 

.       496 

xlv.-xlviii., 

.       479,  481 

ii.  19,  20,    . 

.       402 

xlvii., 

.       158 

ii.  20, 

.       214 

xlvii.  1-12, 

284,  290,  471 

ii.  22, 

.       194 

xlvii.  6-12, 

.       420 

ii.  23, 

.       187 

xlvii.  12,     . 

.       319 

iii.,      . 

174,  493 

xlviii.. 

.       427 

vii.  16, 

.       131 

xlviii.  35,    . 

159,397,  441,480 

ix.  7,  . 

, 

16 

xlix.,  . 

.        .      317 

xi., 
xi.  8,  9, 

174,  256 

.       482 

Dai 

HEL, 

xi.  8-11, 

.       175 

i.-ii.  5,       . 

.       410 

xi.  10,  11,  . 

.       187 

i.-iv.. 

.       411 

xiii.,   . 

.       175 

i.-vi., 

.       410 

xiii.  14, 

176,  426,  482,  488 

1.  1-6, 

.       410 

xiv.  2-10, 

.        .        .      176 

ii.  5-vii.,    . 

.       410 

ii.,       .        . 

.  40,  50,  413,  416 

Joel. 

ii.  31-45,    . 

.       414 

ii.  44,  45,    . 

.       485 

i  15,  .        .        .        .       309,  316 

v.. 

.       411 

ii.  17, 

.       154 

vi. ,      . 

.       410,  411 

iii.,      . 

.       155,  488 

vi.  21, 

.       341 

iii.  1,  . 

6 

vi.  28, 

.      *  .       411 

iii.  3,  , 

.       252 

vii.,       40,  410,  4 

til,  413,  414,  416, 

iii.  4,  . 

.       474 

417,  419 

iii.  5,  . 

.       316 

vii.  9-12,     . 

.       488 

iii.  18, 

.       194,  212 

vii.  10, 

.       471,  475 

iv.,      . 

.       163, 
.       316] 

viii. ,    . 

411,  417,  419,  426 

iv.  3,  . 

viii.  2-27,  . 

.       416 

iv.  9  seq., 

.       155 

ix.,     . 

.       411,  425 

iv.  9,  . 

.       309 

ix.  23, 

.       478 

iv.  15, 

305,  310 

ix.  24-27,    . 

423,  462 

iv.  17, 

.       316 

ix.  26, 

,       463,  496 

iv.  18, 

162,  420,  471 

x.-xii., 

.       411 

iv.  18-21, 

159,  312,  487 

X.  13, 

.       299 

iv.  20, 

.       218 

xii.  1-3,  10-13, 

.       423 

iv.  21, 

.       440 

xii.  1-13,    . 

.       489 

He 

)SEA. 

Amos. 

i.-ii.,  .         , 

.        167,  482 

i., 161 

i.-iiL, 

.        .      247 

1.1.    . 

• 

• 

.       469 

510 


INDEX  OF  TEXTS. 


Amos — contintied. 


11,, 

iii. 

iv., 

rii. 

ix., 

ix. 

ix. 

ix. 

ix. 

ix. 


7,8, 


2  seq., 
9,  . 

11,  12, 
14, 
15, 


1-4,  . 
1-21,  . 
15-21, 


i4,    . 


0  BAD  I  AH. 


Jonah. 


MiCAH. 


PAGE 
.  161 

16 
.  161 
.       161 

161,  404 
.       305 

243,  488 
.       493 

404,  443 
.       218 


315 

316 
317 


159 


l8,  . 

182 

i.  15,  . 

.   182 

i.  17,  . 

182 

i.  18,  . 

182 

ii.  13, 

343 

iii.  12, 

.   216 

iii.  21, 

.   217 

iv.-v., 

217 

iv.,   .    , 

50,  270 

iv.  1,  . 

^ 

30,  420,  480 

iv.  1-5, 

181,  184 

iv.  2-5, 

.   187 

iv.  4,  . 

.   218,  443 

iv.  8-13, 

.   217 

iv.  13, 

.   343 

V.  1-4, 

218,  494 

V.  1-6, 

.   215 

V.  2-5, 

.   185 

V.  3,  . 

.   197 

V.  6,  . 

.   447 

Habakkuk. 

ii.  4, 233 

ii.  12-14, 

.   233 

ii.  14, 

,   203 

ii.  20, 

233 

236 


Zephaniah. 


i.  2,  3,    , 

.   222 

i.  7,  . 

.   309 

i.  14,  . 

.   316 

i.  14-16, 

.   310 

i.  14-18, 

.   222,  487 

i.  18,  . 

.   248 

ii.  1,  2, 

.   221 

ii.  1-3, 

.   223 

iii.,   . 

.   228 

iii.  1-3, 

.   487 

iii.  8,  . 

.   200 

iii.  8-20, 

.   225 

iii.  9,  10, 

.   226,  486 

iii.  10, 

.   392 

iii.  11, 

.   281,  309 

iii.  11,  18, 

.   221 

iii.  15, 

.   440 

iii.  16, 

441 

iii.  16,  17, 

.   391 

iii.  17, 

402,  482 

Haggai. 

ii.  6-9,    ....   437 

ii.  9, 480 

ii.  21-23,  ....   437 

ii.  23,    ....   341 

Zechaeiah. 

i.-viii.,   ....   438 

ii.  8-17, 

.   439,  480 

iii.  8-iv.  14 

444,  495 

iii.  8,  . 

.   194 

iii.  16, 

.   441 

iv.-v., 

442 

iv.  7,  . 

.   442 

iv.  10, 

.   442 

vi. , 

.   446 

vi.  9-15, 

447,  495 

vi.  12, 

194,  442 

vi.  13, 

.   491 

viii.,  . 

L39,  440,  441 

viii.  3, 

.   480 

viii.  22,  23, 

.   486 

ix.-xi., 

183,  438 

ix.,   . 

.   201 

ix.  9,  . 

.   218 

ix.  9,  10, 

184,  494 

X., 

.   205 

X.  2,  . 

37 

X.  3-12, 

.   187 

INDEX  OF  TEXTS. 


611 


Zechakiah — continued. 


Mark — continued. 


PAGE 

PAGB 

xL,     .... 

. 

273 

xiv.  27, 

, 

.      464 

xi.  7-14,     . 

, 

189, 

483 

XV.  29-34,  . 

• 

.      326 

xii.-xiv.,     . 

183, 

438, 

462 

xii.  10-xiii.  1,     . 

464, 

490, 

496 

Luke. 

xii.  1-9,      . 

468, 

488 

xiii.-xiv.,    . 

, 

496 

i.  68-70,      . 

.      265 

xiii.  7-9,     . 

463, 

496 

iv.  17-22,    . 

.       371 

xiv.  1-21,    . 

470, 

488 

iv.  18, 

.       370 

xiv.  6-10,   . 

490 

xiii.  4,  5,     . 

.       157 

xiv.  8, 

158 

XX.  17, 

.      210 

xiv.  10, 

181 

xxiii.  35-38, 

.      326 

xiv.  11, 

474 

xiv.  12,       . 

311 

John. 

xiv.  16,  17, 

486 

xiv.  20,  21, 

480 

i.  15-18, 

.      114 

i.  45,  . 

.       114 

Malachi. 

iii.  29, 
iv.  29, 

.       143 
.       114 

i.  7-ii.  9,    .        .        . 

. 

473 

V.  46,  47,    . 

.       114 

i.  1-6, 

^ 

^ 

473 

vi.  14, 

.       114 

ii.  17-iii.,    . 

. 

. 

473 

viii.  44, 

75 

ii.  4-9, 

, 

491 

X.  35, 

.       141 

ii.  10-16,    . 

. 

473 

xiv.  16, 

.       157 

iii.,     . 

474, 

488 

490 

xix.  23-30, 

.       326 

iii.  3,  4, 

491 

xix.  28,  29, 

.       335 

iv.  5,  .        . 

• 

• 

47 

xix.  37, 

.       464 

Matthew. 

Acts. 

i.  21-25,      . 

198 

i.  7,    . 

54 

ii.  5  seq., 

219 

i.  19,  20, 

.       335 

iv.  6,  . 

462 

ii., 

.       156 

iv.  15,  16,  . 

201 

ii.  20, 

.       155 

V.  12, 

115 

ii.  8,   . 

.       156 

xi.  14, 

47 

ii.  20, 

.       155 

xiii.  31, 

270 

ii.  27, 

.       151 

xxi.  42, 

210 

iii.  22-26, 

.       115 

xxiv.,  . 

167 

,  160 

iv.  11, 

.       210 

xxiv.  24, 

23 

iv.  25, 

.       137 

xxiv.  29, 

156 

,  313 

vii.  37, 

.       115 

xxiv.  30, 

^ 

466 

xiii.  33, 

.       137 

xxiv.  37, 

388 

xiii.  35, 

.       151 

xxiv.  42  seq 

•  > 

54 

XV.  16, 

.       163 

xxvi.  31,  32 

464 

XV.  17, 

.       162 

xxvii.  5, 

190 

xxvii.  34, 

335 

Romans 

xxvii.  39-46, 

326 

i.  4,     . 

, 

.      137 

Mark. 

iv.,      . 
ix.  seq., 

• 

51 
51 

xii.  10,        .       .        . 

, 

210 

ix.  25, 

, 

.       168 

xiii.  32  seq. 

» 

•         • 

. 

54 

ix.  33, 

. 

.       210 

512 


INDEX  OF  TEXTS. 


Romans — continued. 


X.  4,    . 

X.  11, 
X.  12, 
X.  12,  13, 
xii.  6, 


XIL,  , 
XV,  54, 
XV.  55, 


iii.  24, 


i.  14,  . 

iv.  8, 
V.  25, 


i  12,  13, 


iL  4, 


1  COEINTHIANS. 


Galatians. 


•  •  • 


Ephesians. 


COLOSSIANS, 


Titus. 


Hebrews. 


i5,    . 

1.9,     . 
ii.  7,    . 
ii.  17, 

iii., 

iii.  7,  . 
X.  5,    . 

X.  8  seq., 
xi.,      . 

L24,  . 

ii.  4  sen., 
ii.6,7,' 
U.9,   . 

1  Peter. 


PAGE 
115 

210 
157 
156 
156 


156 
307 
176 


115 


103 
434 
143 


103 


103 


137 
143 

147 
115 
115 
450 
328 
333 
27 


375 

51 

210 

103 


1  Peter — continued. 


i.  20, 
ii.  10, 


ii.  4, 
iii., 


PAGE 

498 
168 


2  Pii  ■ ; 


JUDB. 


Revelation. 


17,    . 

iv.  4  seq., 
iv.  4,  . 
V.  5,    . 
V.  6,    . 
V.  10, 
vi.  12, 
vi.  12-17, 
vi.  13, 
ix.  1  seq., 
xiL,     , 
xii.  7, 
xiv.  14-20, 
xiv.  20, 
xvi.  16, 
xvi.  19-21, 
xix.  7-9, 
xix.  11  seq. 
xix.  12, 
xix.  13  seq. 
XX.  1, 
XX.  7-10, 
XX.  8  seq., 
XX.  9-11, 
XX.  11-15, 
xxi.,    . 
xxi.  4, 
xxi.  22-27, 
xxi.  23, 
xxi.  27, 
xxii.,  , 
xxii.  3, 
xxii.  5, 
xxii.  13, 
xxii.  16, 


299,  306 
.   408 


299,  306 


466 
306 
299 
99 
442 
104 
160 
307 
313 
306 
173 
306 
160 
312 
160 
306 
143 
104 
447 
315 
306 
283 
108 
421 
160 
391,  408 
307 
399 
469 
470 
290 
158 
399 
160 
99 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Abominations  of  the  heathen,  338. 

'Adonay,  16,  193,  325. 

'Adonay  Jahveh,  16,  209,  268,  340. 

'Adonay  Jahveh  Sabaoth,  330. 

Adoption  of  the  nations  in  Zion, 
226. 

Advent  of  Jahveh,  82,  155,  172, 
194,  232,  263,  403,  483  ;  as  de- 
liverer, 143 ;  for  discipline  of 
Israel,  194  ;  in  glory,  233,  367, 
458  ;  in  judgment,  155,  237, 
282,' 470,  473  ;  to  Zion,  375,  394, 
401. 

Age,  golden,  208. 

Akhor,  172. 

Altar-table  of  Ezekiel,  288. 

'Ammi,  168. 

Amos,  160. 

Ancient  of  days,  413. 

Angel  princes,  306. 

Angels,  sustained  by,  460. 

Animal  kingdom,  peace  with,  274. 

Antichrist,  419,  478. 

Anti-Messiah,  413. 

Apocalypses,  267,  295,  406,  462. 

Arm  of  Jahveh,  374,  381,  386. 

Assurance  of  salvation,  21. 

Astrologers,  37. 

At  hand,  meaning  of  the  term,  53. 

Attributes  of  God,  bonds  of  mar- 
riage, 172 ;  union  of,  in  holy 
land,  457. 

Augury,  37. 

Babylon,  deliverance  from,  374, 
379,  381,  387,  402  ;  destruction 
of,  309. 

Balaam,  4. 

Banquet  of  Jahveh,  300, 

Baptism,  national,  275. 


Baumgarten,  82. 

Beasts,  the  four,  413. 

Bethlehem,  the  ruler  from,  217. 

Bickell,  202. 

Blayney,  252. 

Bleek,  98. 

Blessing  and  the  curse,  113  ;  bless- 
ing of  Abraham,  83  ;  of  Japhet, 
79  ;  of  Judah,  93  ;  of  Shem,  77. 

Blood-bath  of  Jahveh,  311. 

Book  of  comfort  of  Isaiah,  338 ; 
of  Jeremiah,  247  ;  of  the  cove- 
nant, the  greater,  109  ;  the  little, 
109  ;  of  instruction,  109 ;  of 
judgment,  420. 

Bottcher,  150. 

Branch,  the  righteous,  244 ;  the 
servant  of  Jahveh,  442,  495. 

Bridal  of  the  Messiah,  140. 

Calvin,  214. 

Capstone  of  the  new  temple,  442. 

Cave,  4. 

Cedar  sprig,  the  wonderful,  269. 

Chambers,  186. 

Chastisement,     divine,      129 ;    of 

Israel,  247,  291,  487. 
Cheyne,  204,  347. 
Chrysostom,  17. 
Cicero,  11. 
Citizen  of  Zion,  212. 
City  of  the  great  king,  210,  213. 
Communion  with  God,  460  ;  after 

death,  151. 
Conant,  82. 
Conflict,  the  great,  159  ;  the  final, 

456  ;  with  evil,  478. 
Conquering  star,  104. 
Conqueror  of  Edom,  315. 
Conquest  of  the  nations,  132. 
K 


614 


GENEEAL  INDEX. 


Corner-stone  of  Zion,  208. 

Cornill,  269. 

Covenant,  keei^ing  of,  392 ;  the  new, 
246,  256,  272,  277,  342,  369, 
496  ;  blessings  of,  363,  370  ;  of 
peace,  387  ;  ^\^th  Abraham,  84  ; 
with  David,  126,  263  ;  inviolable, 
258  ;  with  Phinehas,  109  ;  with 
the  animal  kingdom,  172. 

Counsellor,  the  wonderful,  201. 

Crowning  of  the  priest-king,  442. 

Curse  of  Canaan,  79. 

Daniel,  410. 

Bathe,  200. 

David,  the  second,  168,  174,  255, 
265,  272,  274,  277,  290,  495. 

Davidson,  A.  B.,  294,  346. 

Day,  of  fire,  473  ;  of  Jahveh,  154, 
222,  487  ;  of  judgment,  369,  421, 
487  ;  of  redemption,  488 ;  the 
unique,  456,  490. 

Death,  the  annihilation  of,  296. 

Decree  of  God,  134. 

Delitzsch,  Franz,  17,  140. 

Delitzsch,  Fried.,  261. 

Deliverance  from  perils,  460. 

Dervishes,  9. 

Destiny  of  man,  68. 

Destruction,  of  Jerusalem,  291  ;  of 
the  great  metropolis,  296. 

Deuteronomist,  68,  115. 

De  Wette,  90. 

Diadem  of  David,  265. 

Diestel,  149, 

Dillmann,  68. 

Disciples  of  Jahveh,  387. 

Discipline,  divine,  178  ;  of  Israel, 
194,  255,  275,  308. 

Distributor  of  spoils,  201. 

Diviners,  37. 

Dominion,  over  the  creatures,  68, 
146,  152,  205  ;  over  the  nations, 
137  ;  the  universal,  413. 

Double  sen.se,  65. 

Dragon,  Egypt  the,  296. 

Dreams,  5,  6,  12,  39 ;  of  Nebu- 
chadnezzar, 414. 

Driver,  95. 

Dwelling  of  Jahveh,  79,  194  ;  in 
the  land  of  Israel,  221,  278  ;  in 
Zion,  159,  194,  212,  213,  224, 
226,  258,  283,  434,  439,  440,  449. 

Dynasty  of  David,  126. 


Earthquake,  159  ;  the  great,  282. 

Ecstatic  state,  7,  12,  39. 

Eden,  the  garden,  290,  385,  477. 

Edom,  doom  of,  313. 

Education  of  the  race,  72. 

Egypt,  offerings  of,  392,  435  ;  over- 
throw of,  207  ;  redemption  of. 
207. 

Eichhom,  165. 

'El,  13. 

'El  Elohim,  237. 

'El  Elohim  Jahveh,  237. 

'El  Jahveh,  344. 

'El  Shadday,  87. 

Elders  on  Mount  Zion,  306. 

Eli,  122. 

Elijah  the  second,  473. 

*  El  yon,  13. 

Endowment  of  mankind,  69,  148. 

Enoch,  apocalypse  of,  306. 

Ephraim  the  S}Tian,  417. 

Ethiopia,  offerings  of,  206,  225, 
435. 

Eunuchs  admitted  to  Jerusalem, 
392. 

Evils  removed,  318. 

Ewald,  191,  293. 

Exaltation  of  Zion,  383. 

Exodus,  the  great,  205,  244,  381. 

Ezekiel,  266. 

Faithfulness  of  Jahveh,  383. 

Fakirs,  9. 

Fall  of  mankind,  71. 

Fasting,  the  true,  338,  367. 

Favour  of  God,  152. 

Feast  of  tabernacles,  467. 

Felicity  of  the  land  of  Jahveh,  459. 

Fire  and  brimstone,  282. 

Fires  of  judgment,  473. 

Fleischer,  15. 

Forecast,  11. 

Foreigners  admitted  to  Jerusalem, 
392. 

Foresight,  17,  56. 

Fountain,  for  sins  and  uncleanness, 
463  ;  of  living  waters,  160. 

Fulfilment  of  prophecy,  63  ;  succes- 
sive, 65. 

Fiirst,  303. 

Gabler,  69. 
Gareb,  the  hill,  257. 
Gehenna,  408. 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


515 


Geiger,  206. 

Gesenius,  149. 

Glad  tidings  of  advent,  374,  381. 

Glory,  of  Jahveh,  287  ;  of  the  holy 
land,  457  ;  of  the  new  Jerusalem, 
438  ;  of  the  new  temple,  436. 

Graf,  241. 

Gi-fitz,  231. 

Green,  318. 

Grotius,  417. 

Habakkuk,  232, 

Haggai,  436. 

Hailstones,  282. 

Harvest,  the  great,  159 

Havernick,  422. 

Heart,  the  new,  268,  274. 

Henderson,  175. 

Hengstenberg,  267,  284. 

Herald  of  the  advent,  376,  400,  473. 

Herder,  98. 

Hero,  the  divine,  201. 

Highway,  of  redemption,  205,  313, 

353,  374,  481  ;  to  Zion,  374. 
Hitzig,  98. 

Holiness  to  Jahveh,  257,  467,  470. 
Holy  nation,  101. 
Horn,   the  little,   419;  symbolism 

of,  124,  265. 
Hosea,  164. 
Houbigant,  177. 
House,  of  David,  128 ;  rebuilding 

of,  161  ;    of  Jahveh,    126,    160  ; 

exaltation  of,  181 ;  of  prayer  for 

all  nations,  391. 
Humiliation,    of   the    servant    of 

Jahveh,  352  ;  of  Zion,  383. 
Hupfeld,  16. 
Hydromantic,  37. 
Hymn  of  Zachariah,  265. 

Ideal  man,  146,  321,  477  :  trium- 
phant in  death,  148;  triumphant 
over  evil,  459. 

Ideal,  Messianic,  63,  476. 

Ideal  of  mankind,  476. 

Image,  the  great,  412. 

Immanuel,  195. 

Imprecation  upon  enemies,  335. 

Incantation,  302. 

Insight,  11,  17,  56. 

Institutions,  new,  255. 

Instruments  of  war,  destruction  of, 
172,  183,  200,  436. 


Interposition,  of  Jahveh,  368  ;  of 
the  servant  of  Jahveh,  360. 

Interpretation  of  prophecy,  60,  65. 

Invitation,  the  great,  363. 

Isaiah,  190. 

Israel,  praised  by  all  the  earth, 
226  ;  the  son  of  Jahveh,  100. 

Jah,  259. 
Jah  Elohim,  431. 
Jah  Jahveh,  301. 

Jahveh,  x.  ;  advent  to  Zion,  394  ; 
a  wall  of  fire  about  Jerusalem, 
438 ;  comforter  of  Zion,  387  ; 
conqueror  of  Edom,  315  ;  delivers 
His  servant,  348 ;  dwells  in  Zion, 
160  ;  enthroned  in  Zion,  449  ; 
faithful  to  Zion,  381  ;  father  of 
Israel,  100,  174,  383,  482  ;  hus- 
band of  Zion,  340,  387,  400,  482; 
interposition  of,  368  ;  king  over 
the  earth,  467  ;  march  of,  429  ; 
our  righteousness,  244  ;  shepherd 
of  Israel,  187,  273,  374,  483  ; 
the  all-knowing  judge,  123  ;  the 
holy  king,  448  ;  the  glorious 
king,  210 ;  the  only  God  and 
Saviour,  378  ;  the  sanctuary, 
268  ;  the  sun,  394 ;  the  sun  of 
righteousness,  475 ;  the  victorious 
king,  145. 

Jahveh  'Elyon,  456. 

Jahveh  Elohim  Sahaoth,  229. 

Jahveh  Sahaoth,  185,  206,  214, 
309,  388,  437,  439,  463,  473. 

Jahvist,  68. 

Jeremiah,  239. 

Jerusalem,  destcoyed,  421 ;  names 
given  to,  245,  290,  400,  441  ; 
rebuilt,  247  ;  of  precious  metals, 
394  ;  of  precious  stones,  387  ; 
source  of  living  waters,  367  ;  the 
glory  of,  438  ;  the  holy,  160 ;  the 
throneof  Jahveh,  242;  unwalled, 
438. 

Jezreel,  167. 

Joel,  153. 

Joy,  everlasting,  318  ;  universal, 
256. 

Judge,  the  all-kiiowing,  123  ;  the 
righteous,  237. 

Judgment,  book  of,  420  ;  divine, 
115,  159,  487;  of  Jahveh,  221; 
of  Gog,  279  ;  of  perverse  Israel, 


516 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


194  ;  of  the  earth,  309,  311 ;  of 
the  nations,  338  ;  the  gi'eat,  413, 
471. 

Kamphausen,  149. 

Kayser,  200. 

Keil,  74. 

Keim,  148. 

Kennicott,  464. 

King,  conquering,  132  ;  of  peace, 
184  ;  the  great,  210,  213 ;  the 
^Messianic,  492 ;  the  righteous, 
137  ;  the  rightful,  270. 

Kingdom,  of  God,  101,  104,  483  ; 
growth  of,  270  ;  of  jjriests,  101, 
490  ;  of  the  Son  of  man,  412. 

Kleinert,  218. 

Kliefoth,  412. 

Kuobel,  295,  404. 

Kohler,  443. 

Konig,  14. 

Kranichfeld,  417. 

Krochmal,  199. 

Kuenen,  10. 

Kiiper,  3. 

Ladd,  10. 

Lagarde,  203. 

Lamp,  symbolism  of,  265. 

Lamp-stand  of   the  new    temple, 

445. 
Land,  holy,  481  ;  fertility  of,  178  ; 

of  the  restoration,  283,  286  ;  of 

the  glory  of  Jahveh,  457,   477  j 

of  Jahveh,  459. 
Leviathan,  the,  Babylon,  296. 
Levites,  purified,  476. 
Lewis,  82. 

Libya,  offerings  of,  225. 
Light,  of  life,  303  ;  of  the  nations, 

342,  352. 
Lo'ammi,  168. 
Lord  of  the  animals,  460. 
Loruhama,  168. 
Lots,  38. 
Love,  everlasting,  of  Jahveh,  247, 

255  ;  to  Israel,  174. 
Lowth,  195. 
Luzzato,  395. 

Magicians,  36. 
Malachi,  472. 

Malakh  Jahveh,  88,  117  ;  of  the 
covenant,  473;  theophanyof,  468. 


Man,  of  God,  16  ;  of  sorrows,  356  ; 

of  the  right  hand,  232  ;  of  the 

Spirit,  16. 
Mania,  prophetic,  12. 
March  of  Jahveh,  429. 
Marriage  of  Jahveh,  173,  242,  387. 
Martyr  death,  of  the  servant,  362  ; 

of  the  prince,  465. 
Maudsley,  5. 
Medes,  309. 
Megiddo,  4. 
Melchizedek,  4. 
Mercies,   of  David,   363  ;    of  God, 

258. 
Message  of  Jahveh,  16. 
Messiah,  bridal  of,    140 ;    cut  off, 

421  ;    enthroned  on  Zion,   134  ; 

installation  of,  136. 
Messianic  ideal,  63,  476. 
Messianic  king,  492. 
Messianic  prophecy,  interpretation 

of,  60,  65. 
Micah,  216. 
Minchah,  8. 
Moll,  141. 

Monarchy,  Davidic,  244. 
Montanistic  theory    of   prophecy, 

12. 
Mother  Israel,  171. 
Mount  of  Olives,  466. 
Miihlau  and  Volck,  15. 
Muller,  18. 
Mysteries,  10. 

Nabi,  15. 

Nagelsbach,  472i 

Name  of  Jacob,  a  title  of  honour, 
348. 

Nathan,  126. 

Nations,  participation  in  the  priest- 
hood, 407  ;  smitten  with  blind- 
ness and  leprosy,  456. 

Naturalistic  theory  of  prophecy, 
17. 

Nature  rejoices  in  the  advent,  449. 

Near,  meaning  of  the  term,  53. 

Necromancy,  8,  36,  38. 

New  covenant,  246,  256,  272,  277, 
342,  369,  496. 

New  earth,  402. 

New  heavens,  402. 

New  Jerusalem,  242,  245,  290,  387 
394,  400,  402,  438,  480. 

New  priesthood,  402. 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


617 


New  temple,  436,  480. 

Newcome,  177. 

Nowack,  170. 

Numbers,  symbolical,  53,  426. 

Oath  of  Jahveb,  133. 

Obadiah,  315. 

Oehler,  21. 

Offerings  of  the  nations,  140,  206, 

225,  392,  435. 
Olive  trees,  the  two,  445. 
Olshausen,  432. 
Orelli,  61. 

Panic  of  God,  282,  471. 

Peace,  everlasting,  172,  183,  387  ; 
tbe  great,  of  the  world,  208  ;  the 
name  of  the  Messiah,  219  ;  uni- 
versal, 184,  200,  205,  457. 

Perowne,  213. 

Persecution,  for  righteousness'  sake, 
335  ;  of  the  prophets,  320. 

Pestilence,  282. 

Phinehas,  109,  122. 

Plague  from  God,  471. 

Poem,  of  the  creation,  68  ;  of  the 
fall  of  man,  74. 

Point  of  view,  prophetic,  57. 

Prayer,  338,  392. 

Preacher,  the  great,  369. 

Prediction,  34;  Hebrew,  divine 
source  of,  39  ;  limitations  of,  55  ; 
sources  of,  36  ;  symbolical  forms 
of,  43. 

Priest-code,  109,  115. 

Priesthood,  faithful,  122;  Leviti- 
cal,  244 ;  of  Israel,  485  ;  the 
everlasting,  109  ;  the  holy,  490. 

Priest-king,  132;  crowning  of,  442. 

Priestly  narrator,  68. 

Prince,  in  Ezekiel,  288  j  of  peace, 
198,  219. 

Prophecy,  an  organism  of  redemp- 
tion, 18  ;  apocalyptic,  267  ;  de- 
velopment of,  24  ;  features  of, 
18  ;  from  God,  2,  498  ;  its  own 
interpreter,  49  ;  of  the  restora- 
tion of  Zion,  374  ;  Montanistic 
theory  of,  12  ;  naturalistic  theory 
of,  17  ;  phases  of,  5  ;  predictive, 
laws  of,  56 ;  religious  instruc- 
tion, 1 ;  scholastic  theory  of,  43 ; 
test  of,  22. 


Prophet,  an  officer  of  the  Deity,  2  ; 
the  evangelical,  337  ;  the  faith- 
ful, 491 ;  the  one  like  Moses, 
110,  491. 

Prophetesses,  Grecian,  8. 

Prophetic  function,  25  ;  ideal,  28  ; 
numbers,  53  ;  order,  26  ;  founder 
of,  125. 

Prophets  of  Baal,  8 ;  Hebrew  re- 
formers, 27. 

Protevangelium,  71,  478. 

Purification,  of  Zion,  193,  487  ;  the 
great,  274. 

Pusey,  468. 

Rachel  weeping  for  her  children, 

256. 
Redemption,  divine   plan  of,   19  ; 
of  Israel,  34;    of   the  nations, 
225. 
Reign  of  Jahveh,  125,  212,  449. 
Reinke,  198. 
Religion  of  Jahveh  indestructible, 

291. 
Remnant,  the  holy,  194,  270,  478. 
Renovation  of  nature,  313. 
Repentance,  call  to,  367. 
Restoration,  246  ;    of  Israel,   167, 
178,  255  ;  of  prosperity,  457  ;  of 
the  vine  Israel,  228  ;  through  the 
sea  trouble,  185  ;  of  Zion,  374. 
Resurrection,    national,    176,  276, 
489  ;     of    the    dead,    421  ;    the 
great,  275. 
Reunion  of  Israel,  484. 
Reunion,  the  great,  277. 
Reuss,  68. 

Reward  of  righteousness,  365. 
Rhythm,  differences  in,  339. 
Riehm,  14. 
River,  of  fire,  413  ;    of  life,    290, 

481. 
RodweU,  357. 
Root  of  Jesse,  205. 
Rosenmiiller,  206. 
Ruler  from  Bethlehem,  217. 

Sabbath    observance,    338,    367, 

392. 
Sacred  numbers,  52. 
Salvation,  universal,  380. 
Samuel,  125. 

Sanctity-code,  109,  115,  119. 
Sanctuary  of  Jahveh,  277. 


518 


GEIfERAL  INDEX. 


Scholastic  theory  of  prophecy,  46. 

Schools  of  the  prophets,  2-i. 

Schottgen,  139. 

Schultz,  16. 

Schurer,  149. 

Sea,  Trouble,  185. 

Second  sight,  9. 

Seed,  of  Abraham,  85  ;  of  David, 
126  ;  of  the  woman,  75. 

Seer,  14. 

SelwjTi,  199. 

Separation  of  the  righteous  and 
the  wicked,  257. 

Serpent,  the,  72. 

Servant  of  God,  16  ;  a  trespass- 
offering,  356  ;  anointed  with  the 
Spirit,  369  ;  deliverance  of,  340  ; 
gentle  and  meek,  342  ;  high 
calling  of,  352  ;  humiliation  of, 
352,  355  ;  innocence  of,  356  ;  in 
whom  Jahveh  is  well  pleased,' 
342  ;  a  martyr,  362  ;  reward  of, 
356  ;  the  sin-bearing,  356  ;  the 
sufferer,  356,  492. 

Shad  day,  13. 

Shades  of  the  dead,  308. 

Shamans,  8. 

Sheol,  deliverance  from,  151,  176, 
307  ;  dungeon  of,  306. 

Shepherd  of  Israel,  229,  273,  483  ; 
the  faithful,  272  ;  the  rejected, 
187  ;  the  smitten,  462,  496. 

Shiloh,  95. 

Shoot,  the  fruitful,  201. 

Simon,  19. 

Sinim,  land  of,  354. 

Sin-ofterings  in  Ezekiel,  288. 

Smend,  279. 

Smith,  W.  R.,  161. 

Somnambulism,  9. 

Son  of  Jahveh,  129,  134. 

Son  of  man,  232 ;  on  the  clouds, 
413,  478. 

Song,  of  David,  131  ;  of  Hannah, 
124;  of  Moses,  117. 

Sorrow,  annihilation  of,  296  ;  flees 
away,  318. 

Sovereignty  of  the  Messiah,  136. 

Spirit  of  God,  abides  with  Israel, 
369  ;  bestowed  upon  the  servant, 
342  ;  graces  of,  204  ;  influence 
of,  20  ;  of  gi'ace  and  supplica- 
tion, 466  ;  outpouring  of,  155, 
279,  348,  488. 


Spirits,  evil,  308. 

Stade,  183. 

Stanley,  316. 

Steiner,  175. 

Stone,  the  little,  413. 

Streams  of  Zion,  212. 

Streane,  255. 

Studer,  199. 

SuT)jugation  of  enemies,  144. 

Sufferer,  the  great,  320,  491. 

Suffering  Messiah,  the,  321,   326, 

335. 
Sun  of  Righteousness,  the,  473. 
Supernatural,  the,  19. 
Symbolical  language,  52 ;  numbers, 

57. 

Temple,   new,   glory  of,   436 ;    of 

Ezekiel,  285  ;  sanctity  of,   289  ; 

of  Solomon,  129. 
Teraphim,  37. 
Testimony  of  the  Spirit,  21. 
Theophany,  20,  143  ;  for  judgment, 

237. 
Tholuck,  3. 
Throne,  of  flames,  413;  of  Jahveh, 

242,  262. 
Times,  the  last,  421. 
Toy,  196. 
Transformation  of  nature,  317,  318, 

342,  374,  477. 
Tree  of  life,  290. 
Tristram,  203. 
Triumph  over  evil,  459. 
Triumphal  procession,  429. 
Tuch,  98. 
Types,  46. 
Typology,  47. 
Tyre,  merchandise  of,  consecrated, 

206. 

Umbreit,  173. 

Uniformity  of  the  seasons,  78. 

Union  of  Egypt  and  Assyria  with 

Israel,  206. 
Urim  and  Thummim,  38,  113. 

Vineyaed  of  Jahveh,  308. 
Vision,  pro]ihetic,  5,  12,  14. 
Visions  of  Daniel,  416. 
Vitringa,  206. 

Watees,  living,  160. 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


619 


Weir,  385. 

Wellliausen,  68. 

Wicked  dead,  427. 

Winepress  of  judgment  159,  315. 

Winer,  413. 

Witchcraft,  37. 

Wizards,  36. 

Word  of  Jahveh,  16. 

Word-play,  295. 

Worship  of  Jahveh,  universal,  226. 

Wright,  C.  H.  H.,  183  279. 

Wiinsche,  154,  164. 

Yeae  of  grace,  369. 


Zadok,  priests  of  the  line  of,  286. 

Zechariah,  181. 

Zedekiah,  267. 

Zephaniah,  220. 

Zerubbabel,  the  second,  444 ;  the 
servant  of  Jahveh,  436 ;  the 
signet  of  Jahveh,  436. 

Zion,  exaltation  of,  383  ;  purifica- 
tion of,  193  ;  the  bride  of  Jah- 
veh, 400  ;  the  city  of  the  great 
king,  210,  213,  479  ;  the  crown 
of  glory,  400  ;  the  light  of  the 
world,  394  ;  the  restoration  of, 
374 ;  the  wife  of  Jahveh,  340. 


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